One Step at a Time
by Midie
Summary: About five years after Life's Decisions, Drake finds his life at a good place. That is, until a letter arrives that will shake his household.
1. Prologue

_One Step at a Time_

Disclaimer: All characters, etc., belong to their owners...yep...just wrote this story here.

A/N: This story picks up some years after _Life's Decisions_. If you haven't read it or its preceding stories, _We've All Made Promises_ and _Truths Revealed_, you may want to do that so you have an idea of who some of the characters are here. Yes, this starts off a new trilogy. Hope you enjoy it.

**Prologue**

* * *

Walking up the sidewalk, Christine stopped at the mailbox. Glancing up, she realized it was about to storm. She grabbed the mail and hurried inside the house before the rain began to fall. There was a flash of light, and by the time she got to the door, a roll of thunder cracked through the air, causing her to jump. She made it inside and shut the door.

Christine hurried to the back of the house to make sure nothing was in the backyard that shouldn't get wet. She returned to the living room to find a teenage boy and a four-year-old girl sitting on the sofa. The little girl looked startled.

"Is she all right?" Christine asked.

"I think that thunderclap scared her," the boy replied.

"It was loud," Christine replied, sitting next to the little girl on the sofa.

"Mommy, where's Daddy?" the little girl asked.

"He's still at work, sweetie."

"Won't the storm get him?"

"Not if he's inside," Christine responded. "He'll be okay, don't worry."

After the little girl seemed reassured, Christine headed back into the kitchen where she'd dropped the mail. She picked it up and shuffled through the envelopes. It was the normal mail, the bills, the ads, but she came across one envelope that made the others seem even more insignificant. She looked at the return address and nearly jumped when she read the name. She didn't know what to do. It would have to wait until her husband came home, which shouldn't be too long now.

She was right. She was still staring at the envelope when a twenty-nine-year-old Drake Parker walked through the front door. He was soaking wet.

"Man," said Drake. "It's really coming down. I should have brought an umbrella this morning." He stopped at the mirror in the hall to check his reflection. He still took pride in his looks. Some things he just wasn't going to grow out of. "For my hair's sake, next time I'll check the weather," he said, shaking his head. "I...what's the matter?" he asked Christine. She was still holding the envelope that had caught her attention. She handed it to him, and he studied it carefully. "It's from..."

"...yeah," Christine replied. "What do we do?"

"We have to talk to him. If we don't, he'll find out eventually."

"It's just been nine years. Does she really expect..."

"Maybe she expects him to be more like me."

"When do you want to tell him?"

"I don't even know how I'm going to tell him."

"We'll think about it, okay? Give it a few days. Then we'll talk to him together."

"All right," Drake sighed. The first few years of taking care of his brother, he'd expected this. However, nothing came in those first few years. Why now?


	2. Ch 1: Just an Ordinary Day

_One Step at a Time_

Disclaimer: All characters, etc., belong to their owners...yep...just wrote this story here.

A/N: After last night's episode, some things with Josh and Mindy will be off in here. That's because I'm bouncing off my old story. I had this chapter written long before I even knew about last night's episode, so bear with me.

**Chapter One - Just an Ordinary Day**

* * *

One fall morning, Drake was skimming the newspaper while eating breakfast. He didn't really read anything unless it interested him enough, and he got most of the news when he skimmed it anyway. 

"You're absolutely sure you're going to be my calculus teacher?"

"Yes. I'm the only one teaching the class this semester."

"You know, Rob," said Drake, glancing up from the paper. "It might be in your favor to have Christine as your math teacher this year. I mean, she lives in the same house as you."

"I know, but..." Rob began.

"She put up with having her mom teach her in high school for a couple years. You can do it for one."

"Oh, for..." Rob got up and went to his room.

"Don't be late for school," Drake said as Rob passed him. Actually, Drake would always think of Rob as Bobby. He was his little brother, and to Drake, he always would be. Actually, lately he'd been hoping Rob would look up to him more as a parent. Drake wasn't sure how Rob felt about that, though. Drake and Christine took care of him because when he was seven, after his dad died. Drake had grown to love him, and Christine had spoken with Bobby's mother. She gave in and thought that Drake was a bit more steady with a job at the time, working in his mom's office and on his way to becoming a psychiatrist that she signed the papers allowing Drake to adopt Bobby, provided social services and a judge saw that it was all right. They did, and Drake had adopted Bobby when Drake was twenty and Bobby was eight. It was nine years later, and Drake had been married to Christine for seven of those nine years. The last four years they'd spent raising their daughter, Angela, as well as Bobby. They'd both done their best with raising him. It proved difficult because they were young, and Bobby still had problems because his dad had died. Somehow, they pushed through, and Bobby had turned out all right. In middle school, he asked to be called Rob. It did sound a bit more grown up. Drake and Christine agreed. He was a senior in high school that year, and he was in some more difficult classes and ran track. Drake was glad for this. Maybe he'd stay out of trouble. He had done a few minor things in the past, so Drake was keeping an eye on him, but he began to see that things would be okay.

Drake had no idea how his relationship with Christine was going to work with taking care of Bobby and everything else. He realized the morning after he proposed, that she was afraid of hurting either of them. Her parents had been torn apart and so had his biological parents. He understood what she was afraid of now, and he tried to get around that. He'd managed to so far. Although, trying to be romantic was difficult when you had medical school and then a residency. But the conversation they'd had the day after he proposed finally broke what she was afraid of, and for that, they were both grateful.

"I don't want to go to school, Mommy," said Angela, looking up at her mother with the brown eyes she'd inherited from her father. They were putting her in preschool that year.

"You sound like Daddy; did you know that?" Christine asked her daughter.

"Hey," said Drake.

Angela giggled.

"You have to go," said Christine.

"I know," Angela replied.

"Well, then, it's time to go wash up," Christine responded.

"Okay," said Angela, hopping off of her chair and heading to the bathroom.

Christine sat down next to Drake at the table and sighed.

"Don't worry about Rob," Drake said. "His only problem is it's not very cool to have his, well, mom, I guess we could say, for lack of a better word, as his teacher."

"Trust me, I know about that," Christine replied. She glanced up at the clock. "I have to go," she said. "Are you sure you can take Angela to school?"

"Yes," said Drake. "I have no problem dropping her off in the mornings. As long as you pick her up from the school's daycare program at the end of the day."

"You know I can. The high school day ends before your's does." She grabbed her binder containing her first day notes inside. "Have you given any thought to that letter?" Christine asked.

"We have to tell him. I know that. We're going to have to sit him down and explain."

"We'll talk about this later tonight, okay? I'll see you later. Have a good day." She kissed Drake goodbye before heading out the door.

Drake sighed and leaned back in his chair. Life was pretty good right now, even if he didn't know what to do about the letter that had arrived in the mail the previous day. He was working on his fellowship at the moment. His name was building a bit that way. He'd finish it next year and be able to work on his own. He had done a pretty decent job of taking care of Rob, despite the large amounts of schooling and work that Drake had to do. He also had a wife that he was still in love with after seven years of marriage. Of course, they did argue. Mostly over bills and things that required the big decisions. That was expected, but Drake couldn't recall one time when they'd gone to bed angry. He'd nearly ended up on the couch a few nights, but one of them would point out how childish that was. He figured this was where being best friends before helped a lot. They knew they could talk to each other, even if it had taken a while for them to see it sometimes. Besides, their large bed could be quite lonely without someone else in it.

Drake had been extra happy too, when they'd gone to their ten year high school reunion. He noticed how a lot of the girls he'd dated in high school really weren't that appealing. Actually, when he thought about it, he realized they always had never been too appealing. Drake had felt lucky to have Christine that night. Christine had never needed to act or dress like those girls. Oh, she dressed fashionably, but she didn't wear her skirts as short as the cheerleaders or her shirts as tight as the dance team. Although, a number of their old friends chose to crack jokes to Christine for working at the school they all couldn't wait to get away from when they were young. They shut up when Drake mentioned that she taught calculus, a class a lot of them hadn't gotten to the level of, or of the two that did, dropped or failed.

His proudest moment to date was not graduating medical school. It was when his daughter was born. His Angel. They'd debated about when they would have children. Drake was in his third year of medical school when he found out that Christine was pregnant. Drake had been worried about spending time with his family. He knew there were other parents who did this. His residency had been carried out and he'd just finished last year, when Angela turned four. He did his best to make time for her, but it was difficult. If he missed even one important part of her life, he wouldn't forgive himself. It worried him more now because she was starting school, but after his fellowship, there was the possibility of him opening his own practice and setting his own hours. He hoped he wouldn't have to miss her school play or her first choir concert.

Yes, things were going well for Drake at the moment. His parents and siblings were even closer to him than he'd expected they would be when he was younger. He and Josh were still the best of friends, and he still did things with Megan. Megan wanted to work for NASA. No surprise there to Drake. She was going through school, trying to achieve her goal. He still got along well with his parents. He was a bit concerned about Josh, though. Josh had broken up with Mindy a little while after Drake had proposed to Christine. Drake had been surprised. He really expected them to get married or at least move in together. After Josh had broken up with Mindy, he didn't date as much. He'd just gotten involved with a girl named Lana. Things were getting serious, and Drake hoped this would work out for Josh. That was the odd part. When they were young, Drake had been sure Josh would get married first. However, Drake was the one who had been married seven years, not Josh. Josh seemed to be happy with his job, though. He worked as a video game designer. Josh's love of video games and math were what led him to that. It was strange, though, that Drake was still in school while Josh was working for Pintendo, the company that had created the Gamesphere.

Rob came back down the stairs. He grabbed his car keys and got ready to head out the door.

"Hey, Rob," said Drake. "Are you really that annoyed by having Christine for a teacher this year?"

"Well, I don't think so," replied Rob. "It's just...she's...you know. It might be kind of weird."

"And like I said, she put up with her mom teaching her for a year. We all did. And if we want to get technical, she's your sister-in-law." Rob had always been unsure of what Christine was to him, and Drake knew that. He had hoped that Rob would look to her as a mother, but he wasn't sure if Rob did or not.

"Which makes it weird too. I can deal with it, though."

"I know you can," said Drake. "Have a good day."

"Bye, Drake," said Rob and left.

Drake got out of his chair and put his breakfast dishes on the counter. Christine would probably scold him later for the ten thousandth time to rinse his dishes and put them in the dishwasher. He headed to the bathroom for a last minute check. It wasn't that he was as vain as he was when he was younger, but he had to look presentable given that he was a doctor now. Well, he did still feel like he had to pay attention to his looks a little bit. He grabbed what he needed for the day and called to his daughter.

"Angel! It's time to go!"

"Coming, Daddy," she replied, hurrying down the hall.

"Ready?" he asked, picking up her backpack.

"Uh huh."

Once they were in the car, Drake asked her, "You don't really not want to go to school, do you?"

"I don't know," she responded.

"Well, you really should. If you ever want a good job like Mommy or me, you have to go to school."

"Mommy said you didn't like school."

"I know what Mommy said," Drake replied. Christine had often teased him about the many years of school that came after high school for this career. She wasn't trying to be mean; she supported him completely. She was just trying to help him relax. "But I went to school for a very long time. Now I'm a doctor. Even then, I'm still in school. At least until you're finished with kindergarten."

"I thought you were a psych-psyc-psychie..."

"Psychiatrist," Drake said. "That's a hard one, don't worry. It's a special kind of doctor."

"Oh," said Angela. "What kind of doctor?"

Drake smiled. He liked that she asked questions. She learned more that way.

"Well, I'm a child psychiatrist. I talk to kids and they tell me about problems they might have, and I talk to their mommys and daddys, and we see if I can help them. Sometimes I have to give them medicine, like when you're sick. Only it helps with different problems."

"Oh," said Angela. "What kind of problems?" she continued to question.

"Well," said Drake. "Sometimes a little boy or girl might be sad all the time, and they need a type of medicine to make them feel happier." Drake decided that explaining depression might be the easiest, but he wasn't going to go into much detail. She didn't need to hear some of the results of that, so he just gave her the extremely watered down explanation.

"Oh," said Angela.

"Oh, look," said Drake. "We're at your school now," which meant the questions would have to stop for now, or they'd both be late. He parked the car and got her out. "Ready?" he asked.

"Yep," she replied.

* * *

Rob got to school and headed to the office. He took his schedule from the secretary before heading to his locker and ran into his friend Matt. 

"Hey," said Matt. "What's up?"

"Same old," said Rob.

"Hey, I saw Drake play last weekend. He's good."

"Yeah, everyone says that," said Rob. Living with Drake who was, by now, quite a legend at Belleview for his ability to be smooth with the ladies, his musical talents, and charm his way through anything, had placed Rob in the incrowd when he got to high school. But, he wanted to be cool in his own way. When he began track, he was quite good at it and managed to be known better for track than being Drake's brother. Although, some people expected him to have the same appeal to women that Drake did. He didn't date the way Drake had, but the girls definitely liked him.

"What's your first class?" Matt asked.

"Uh, let's see," said Rob, looking down down at his schedule. "I've got English."

"Hey, me too." The two guys walked down the hall. "I can't believe it's senior year," said Matt.

"This will be the best year ever," Rob said.

"No kidding. Prom. Graduation. This is going to be great."

"Yep."

* * *

Drake arrived at the hospital. This was the last two years of his training, and he was glad for that. Then he'd finally be able to open his own practice. He'd been told that the doctors here would get to know him, so if he was good, he might be recommended. Before heading to where he was supposed to go that morning, he bumped into someone. 

"Good morning, Drake," said Dr. Carla Reynolds. "Busy day?"

"I guess so," said Drake. "I've got a two year fellowship. I'll be glad when I've finally finished. I can work completely on my own if I want."

"That's good to hear. Are things going well so far?" she asked.

"As good as they can be, I guess," said Drake. "I really never thought I'd want to stay in school as long as I did, but it all paid off."

"It feels good to be doing something worthwhile, doesn't it?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"You don't regret not becoming a musician, do you?"

"I'm still a musician," Drake responded. "It's just not my career. I can still play as well as I used to, if not better."

"I've heard you play. You are very good. Well, I'll leave you alone. I'm visiting patients today, but I arrived a little early."

Drake watched her walk away. Dr. Reynolds had been hard on him when he was in school. She pushed a lot of work on the class and told them that if they really wanted this, they had to know how much it would take. A large number of students dropped the class. Drake hadn't. People told him over and over again that this would be hard work. He wasn't expecting what Dr. Reynolds gave him, but he felt that he needed this. If he quit now, he'd let himself down, and if he let himself down, he felt like he couldn't face his family, even though they told him countless times that they didn't care if he became a psychiatrist or not. Dr. Reynolds saw how hard he worked. She noticed something different about him than most who claimed they wanted what he was going for as his profession. She questioned him and found out he had a family. He was married and taking care of his younger brother. She'd asked him about children of his own, but Drake replied that he didn't have any. The following semester, Drake came to her and told her with a bright smile that his wife was pregnant. He admitted he was worried about his career path. She didn't blame him. Trying to get to this place was difficult and draining. You wanted to have time for your family. She was surprised that Christine had stayed, but when she met her, she appeared to support Drake completely, and Drake appeared to have managed to have taken the time out for his family that was necessary. Although, he seemed to have done the "man" thing once or twice and nearly forgot his own anniversary. Interestingly enough, Josh had to remind him of that.

Dr. Reynolds had many reasons to like Drake. He was charming; she could see that right away. The rockstar haircut and clothing concerned her at first. She soon realized he cared about the kids he wanted to one day help. That made a lot of difference. She knew he'd do what was best. She would be glad when his fellowship ended. He'd finally have his career.

* * *

Drake arrived home that day, feeling exhausted. Actually doing the work and running around the hospital all day was draining. He found Rob doing homework. Angela was sitting a little way away from him, coloring in one of her coloring books. She liked Rob. It was like having a very big brother. 

"Daddy!" she said, running up to him. Drake picked her up.

"And how was your first day of school?" he asked her.

"Good," she replied. "My teacher is nice. She read us a book about the first day of school."

"Oh," said Drake. He gave her a little tickle, making her giggle. He set her down, and she went back to her coloring book.

"Homework on the first day?" Drake asked, turning to Rob.

"Yes," Rob replied, slightly irritated.

"You all have to take the A.P. exam in May," said Christine. "I have to start you as soon as I can."

"Right," Rob responded.

"How was your day?" Christine asked Drake.

"Busy. I enjoy it, though."

"I'm glad."

Drake followed her into the kitchen.

"And how was your day?" he asked as she stood peeling potatoes over the sink.

"I spend my days teaching high school students. I guess it went as smooth as it could," she said with a laugh.

Drake smiled and wrapped his arms around her. He breathed in the scent of her hair.

"You know, when I'm not preoccupied with work, I'm thinking about you," he said.

"Oh, really?"

"Mmm hmm."

"Here's some news I think you'll like, then. Rob and his friends are going camping this weekend, and it's also the weekend that your parents wanted to have Angela stay with them."

"Oh. So, you're saying we'll be here alone?"

"Yes," she replied as she continued to peel the potatoes.

"I like the sound of that," said Drake as he kissed her neck.

"I had a feeling you would," Christine replied, smiling. She turned to kiss him. It wasn't often they got to be alone for a weekend. Once in a while, they wanted a little time to themselves.

"Listen," said Drake. "Do you think maybe we should wait until next week to tell Rob about that letter? I don't want to ruin his weekend."

"I guess," Christine replied. "We shouldn't drag this out too long, though. She might write again. Then he'll just be upset with us for not telling him about it in the first place."

"I know," Drake said. "When he comes back Sunday morning, we'll tell him."


	3. Ch 2: High School Sweetheart

_One Step at a Time_

Disclaimer: All characters, etc., belong to their owners...yep...just wrote this story here.

**Chapter 2: High School Sweetheart**

* * *

Thursday came and the Belleview students were anxiously awaiting Friday. It meant the end of the first school week and freedom. For now, Rob sat in calculus listening to Christine, well, Mrs. Parker during the school day, lecture on the next section in the book. His friends had teased him a few times for having Christine as his teacher. He didn't want to take it personally. She'd done a lot for him over the years and he was grateful for it, even if she wasn't his mother. A little respect toward her as his teacher was probably less than what she deserved. 

After she'd given them their assignment, they began to work. There were about ten minutes left of class. Rob felt someone poke his back. He turned around to find Caitlyn.

"What?" he asked.

"Boys' weekend?" she questioned.

"Oh, yeah."

"Don't get into trouble."

"Don't worry. I learned my lesson." This was true. Rob had tried alcohol before and he regretted it. He woke up the next morning with a hangover the size of Texas, as he described it. Then he got a lecture about the dangers of alcohol abuse and was grounded for the next weekend. He felt he was lucky just to get a weekend. Of course, Drake and Christine hoped the effects of the alcohol had been enough to keep him away from it until he was legally old enough to drink it. He'd done it again because he was at a party and all his friends were. He'd gotten very sick after that and decided he better stay away from it. It just wasn't worth it. "What are you doing this weekend?"

"Oh, I have to work on some Homecoming stuff. Lucy Kramer asked me to help her with a few things, and I told her okay."

"Lucy?"

"Yes," said Caitlyn, fully aware of Rob's love interest. Caitlyn had no idea if Lucy felt the same way about him. She might. He was a senior, and she was a junior.

"Say, could you...?"

"Tell her you're a lovesick dog? Maybe."

"Don't tell her that!"

"I'm kidding. I'll get something out of her, though, okay?"

"Thanks. You're the best."

* * *

"Mommy!" said Angela, hopping off the back of the sofa. "Uncle Josh is here!" 

"Okay," said Christine. "Hey, let's sit on the sofa. We don't want to ruin it by standing on it."

"Okay," said Angela. She ran to the door to greet her uncle. Christine laughed and opened the front door.

"Hello," said Josh. He walked inside and was followed by his girlfriend, Lana and her daughter, Rose. Five years ago, Lana had become pregnant, and her boyfriend decided to leave her. Lana hadn't had much luck with relationships since having her daughter. She was having a lot of trouble as a single parent. She met Josh a couple years ago when Rose was three. Josh didn't seem to mind that Lana had a child. In fact, he seemed to like children. He gave Lana the time she needed too. At first Lana thought he was too good to be true. A straight guy who watched Oprah, could cook, loved kids, and was sweet? Did that really happen? Evidently so, and they'd been together for a while now.

"Hi," said Christine. "That brother of your's is somewhere. Apparently I'm going to have to go looking for him."

"Take your time," said Josh. "If you don't find him in a few hours, we'll just send out a search party." He walked into the living room with Lana and Rose. Rob was sitting on the sofa, glancing through his junior yearbook. He looked at the pictures of the track team. There was Lucy Kramer. She was pretty and smart, not to mention athletic. Who cared that she was a year younger than he was. He just wanted to ask her to the Homecoming dance, but he didn't have the nerve at the moment. "Hey, Rob," said Josh, causing him to jump in his seat. He slammed his yearbook shut.

"Hi, Josh," Rob replied.

"What's up?"

"Nothing much."

"I hear you're camping this weekend."

"Uh, yeah. Should be fun." Rob tried to tell himself that Josh probably had no idea why he was staring at the yearbook page that intently. Drake probably wouldn't even know.

Speaking of Drake, Christine went to go find her husband who had suddenly disappeared. She went upstairs and checked their bedroom. She had no idea where he went. She looked in their bathroom and returned to the bedroom. Where had he gone?

Her answer came when someone suddenly shot out from the corner of the room and tackled her onto the bed. She let out a shriek and soon realized it was just Drake.

"Drake! What are you doing? Did you know Josh and Lana are here?"

"Well, maybe you shouldn't be screaming, then," Drake said, playfully. He kissed her.

"You just can't wait for tomorrow night, can you?" Christine asked.

"Nope," he responded.

"Well, you've still got about twenty-four hours, so let's hold off there, Tiger."

"Oh, fine," said Drake. She smiled up at him. They got off the bed, but then Drake stood there, holding her against him. "Twenty-four hours until we're completely alone. Why does it seem like such a long time?"

"Well, it is a whole day."

"Ah, yes. Much too long." He kissed her again. This time, she didn't interrupt him. "Hey," he said, suddenly. His tone became playful again. "Aren't Josh and Lana downstairs? What do you think you're doing up here, trying to seduce me?"

"Drake Parker."

"Christine Parker."

"We probably should get downstairs before they wonder where we are."

"Oh, I'm sure they'll assume. Actually, I'm okay with that," Drake said.

"I think it's time to go downstairs."

"Oh, all right."

"What were you doing, anyway?"

"I was looking for those lyrics I wrote the other day. I can't seem to find them."

"I'm sure they'll turn up."

"Yeah. I hope so."

The two went downstairs and found Josh and Lana talking to Rob in the living room.

"Oh, there you two are," said Josh. "Where were you?"

"I lost the song lyrics I wrote a couple days ago," said Drake. I've been looking for them."

"Oh," said Josh.

"They're on the top shelf of the bookcase in the den," said Rob.

"And what are they doing there?" Drake asked.

"That's where you left them," Rob replied.

"Oh," said Drake. Josh chuckled. Same old Drake.

* * *

"So then Drake decides he's going to go down to the beach and talk to all the college students," Josh was saying. "He brings back, like, seventy-five of them." 

"Then they basically took over the house," Drake said.

"You were the one who got them," said Josh.

"I didn't think they'd do that! Besides, when half of them hand you two hundred dollars each, it's hard to refuse them."

"Well, yeah," Josh agreed. "But if it wasn't for Megan, I think we would have been grounded until we were thirty."

"No kidding," Drake replied.

"What exactly did you do with all that money?" Lana asked.

"Knowing those two," said Christine, "they probably spent it on something completely off the wall and unnecessary."

"Hey," said Drake.

"Actually," put in Josh. "If I remember correctly, we had to use it to get Mom and Dad out of jail for hosting an untelevised event."

"What?" asked Lana.

"Yeah...turns out, MTV didn't have a city authorized permit to film in our house."

"I thought Mom and Dad were going to find out what we did for sure," said Drake.

"How did they not find out?" Christine questioned.

"Megan used her sweet-talking, what else?" said Josh. "Sometimes, she was very useful."

"I still don't understand why you think she was a demon," said Lana. "She seems very nice."

"Of course she's nice now," said Drake. "Back when we were kids, oh, man was she a demon."

"No kidding," said Josh. "Hey," he said, turning to Rob. "You haven't said much all night. Something wrong?"

"Uh, no," Rob said quickly. His thoughts weren't focused on the conversation at the table. Instead, he'd been thinking about Homecoming and how great it would be to ask Lucy Kramer. "I'm just thinking."

Drake frowned. He'd have to talk to him later. Rob had been acting a bit strange the past couple of days. Drake didn't think he'd found that letter. In fact, Drake was so worried he would that he asked Christine to lock it in her desk at the school. She thought that it was too much to hide it from him that way, but the last thing Drake wanted was for Rob to stumble upon it with no one to question. Drake had no idea how they were going to tell Rob about the letter anyway.

* * *

Rob was packing his things for the camping trip that weekend the same night. He and his friends were going to head over as soon as school let out for the weekend. 

He was excited. This weekend was going to be awesome. Even when it ended, he'd find out from Caitlyn how Lucy Kramer felt about him.

While Rob was attractive, and a lot of girls liked him, he became shy when it came to talking to one he liked. Lucy was his dream girl and the last woman he'd ever be able to speak to without making himself look like a fool. Caitlyn on the other hand was a good friend of his, and he could talk to her easily. It would be much less stress on him if she talked to Lucy about him. Of course, he had no idea how she was going to do that, but he put his trust in her that she'd avoid embarrassing him.

Rob just wanted to ask her to Homecoming. He wished he had the nerve. A lot of people had told Rob that he probably had a good shot at getting on the court. Rob could care less whether he made court or not, but he knew that there was a dance reserved for the court members and their boyfriends and girlfriends. Oh, if he got to dance with her...they'd probably play one of those super-sappy love songs, they always did. The ones along the lines of "This Is the Night" by Clay Aiken or, if they wanted to go back a few more years than that, "You're the Inspiration" by Chicago. Songs Drake would say Josh loved to listen to. However, he wouldn't care what the song was, as long as his arms were around Lucy.

His fantasy was interrupted when Drake knocked at the doorway.

"Yes?" Rob asked.

"Hey," said Drake. "I was just wondering if anything was up. You were very quiet at dinner."

"Uh, everything's fine," said Rob.

"You know, you can tell me anything," said Drake.

"I know," Rob replied. "I was just thinking about some...project tonight. That's all." It technically wasn't a lie. Asking Lucy to Homecoming would be a project.

"Oh?" said Drake. He didn't want to come right out and ask if Rob knew about the letter that had arrived. "Well, I'm going to bed. If I don't see you tomorrow, I guess I'll see you Sunday."

"Okay," said Rob. "Night."

"Goodnight." Drake headed down to his own room. He went through his drawer, looking for his pajamas.

"Anything wrong?" Christine asked.

"He said he had a project, but I worry it's something else. It's only the first week of school."

"I know," said Christine. "He'll probably say something eventually. Maybe he just needs to blow off some steam this weekend with his friends."

"I guess so," said Drake. He put his pajamas on and lie down on the bed. "I just have no idea what we're going to say to him. How do we say, 'The mother who left you with your father thirteen years ago and hasn't spoken to you in all that time wrote you a letter'?"

"We can just tell him the truth. There's really nothing else we can do. Just carefully explain. That's all we can do."

"I guess you're right. I just never thought it would come up after the first few years. Why didn't she say anything in those first few years?"

"I don't know, Drake. And if Rob wants to find out, we'll have to let him. But for now, let him enjoy his weekend, and let's enjoy ours."

"All right," said Drake. "It's the first one we've had to ourselves in a while. I'm sorry, I just worry about him."

"I know. Remember when you caught him with the candy bar from the drugstore?"

"Don't remind me."

"Well, at least after that he wanted to do soccer when you offered it. Just something constructive for him to do. An outlet."

"I just hope Angela grows up okay."

"I'm sure she will. We'll do our best."

"She's not dating until she's thirty," said Drake. "End of story."

"I think you lose the right to tell her what to do when she turns eighteen."

"Okay...when she's eighteen then. I just want to do all I can to protect her from the Drake Parker's of the world."

"I think if she ended up with a Drake Parker, that'd be wonderful," said Christine.

"No high school Drake Parker's then," said Drake.

"Okay," Christine smiled. "Just make sure you don't interrogate the boys as much as my father did."

"What?"

"Before I moved back to San Diego with my mom, Dad thought he needed to sit down and 'talk' with every guy I dated. Scared them away a little bit, which was pretty annoying because I was shy in the first place."

"How did I miss this?"

"He's known you about as long as I have. Besides, after the divorce, he stopped. He felt he had no right to judge who was a good and bad boyfriend."

"After the divorce?"

"Oh, don't worry. David got it." She knew what Drake was concerned about. "I went to Homecoming with David one year before I moved, and Dad did it then. You're the only one who's never gotten the interrogation."

"Wait...How come I didn't hear about you going to Homecoming with David before?"

"Hmm...Good night, Drake." She turned her back to him and pulled the covers over her.

"Hey, I'm still waiting for an answer."

Silence.

"So you're going to play that game?" Drake asked. "Okay. Fine." He slid under the covers and wriggled close to her without touching her. He slid his hand up her back and tickled her.

"Ah! Drake!" she yelled, laughing.

"I win."


	4. Ch 3: The Calm Before the Storm

_One Step at a Time_

Disclaimer: All characters, etc., belong to their owners...yep...just wrote this story here.

**Chapter 3: The Calm Before the Storm**

* * *

"Hey, Rob," said Matt. "Come on, if we're late, the guys will take off without us, and I have no idea how to get to the campground." 

"I'm coming," Rob responded. He hurried down the hall of the school.

"Hi, Rob," said a sweet, female voice. He turned and watched Lucy Kramer walk past him.

"H-hey," Rob replied.

"Hey, Rob!" yelled Matt.

But it was too late. Rob walked into the door of the calculus room.

"Oh, my God!" Christine said. One of the calculus students stood there looking sheepish. He'd just opened the door and hadn't expected Rob to come down the hall at that moment.

"Ouch," said Rob. The guy who slammed the door into him helped him to his feet.

"I'm so sorry, man," the guy said.

"No problem, really," said Rob.

Matt came down the hall.

"Dude! I tried to tell you. Guess you were a little preoccupied with what was going in the other direction, huh?"

Christine glanced down the hall and saw Lucy walking around the corner. So that's what this was about.

"Are you all right?" she asked Rob.

"Yes," Rob said. "I'm fine. We're going to go now. I'll be back sometime on Sunday."

"Okay," Christine replied. "If you're sure."

"I am."

"Then I'll see you Sunday."

"Bye," Rob said.

"See ya, Mrs. Parker," said Matt. The two boys hurried down the hall to catch up with the rest of their friends.

Christine sighed. At least she knew why Rob was acting strange. Drake would feel better about things anyway. Of course, she wasn't going to tell Drake what she knew. Rob didn't want Drake to know, apparently. She had no idea how Drake would react to his brother not telling a girl how he felt about her. Rob probably felt that way too. No, she'd keep this to herself. If Rob wanted to talk to Drake about "how to get the girl," he'd ask him eventually.

So, Christine left the school and picked up her daughter from the day care program at the school. She had to take her to Walter and Audrey's. Megan was in her dorm room at San Diego State, she was working on a graduate study, so basically all of the kids were gone. Walter and Audrey were more than happy to take Angela for the weekend.

"Christine," said Audrey. "Did you want to come in for a minute?"

"No, I have to take care of something else, and I don't have much time now." They'd been held up at the day care center because one of the parents was arguing with one of the teachers. Christine still had to pick up a couple things from the dry cleaners. This second shift really irritated her at times. However, the cleaners closed at five o'clock, and she really didn't have much of a choice.

"All right," said Audrey. "I think we've got this okay, then. Bedtime is at 8:30, like normal."

"Yep," Christine said. "She brought a few of her books and toys with her. She should have plenty to keep her occupied this weekend."

"I'm sure we'll be able to keep her happy," said Walter.

"I know," Christine smiled. She got down next to Angela. "I'm going to go now, okay? Are you going to be good for Grandma and Grandpa?"

"Yes," said Angela.

"Okay. I'll see you Sunday. Mommy loves you, honey," she said, giving her a hug.

"Bye, Mommy," said Angela as Christine left. She always hated leaving her daughter. She trusted Audrey and Walter with her life, though. They'd take good care of Angela.

* * *

Christine arrived back at the house at six o'clock. She sighed. Drake's car was in the garage already. Dinner was going to be an issue now. It was at that point where it was too late to go out unless they wanted to wait two hours for a table. She got out of the car and walked into the house. She smelled something cooking. Drake didn't cook, so what was that? She walked into the kitchen to find Drake sitting at the table. He was flipping through a guitar magazine when he noticed her walk into the room. 

"Hello," he said.

"Um...I'm just wondering...you don't cook."

"Oh, that. I asked Josh if he could make an emergency run over to the house. I knew you'd be home a bit later today since you had to drop off Angela and run a couple errands. I would have done it myself, but then your kitchen would have exploded."

Christine smiled. She wrapped her arms around Drake and kissed him.

"Thank you," she said.

"I just made a phone call."

"When is that supposed to come off of the stove?" Christine asked.

"Oh, Josh left a note about when everything comes off the stove and out of the oven. He doesn't trust me to remember."

"No offense, Drake, but you burn microwave popcorn."

"Thanks a lot."

* * *

"Hey, Rob," said Matt, dropping the tent stakes next to him. "What is with you? You've been phased out ever since we left the school. Did that door hit you harder than you thought?" 

"No," Rob replied. "I've just had my mind on other things."

"Like what?"

"Not much."

"Does this have anything to do with Lucy Kramer?" Matt knew about Rob's crush. He'd had it since they were in seventh grade. Matt just wished he'd ask her out already. Everyone in the entire school probably knew about Rob liking her except Lucy herself.

"Why would you think that?" Rob asked.

"She's the reason you walked into the door. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't walk into a door for just any woman. She'd have to be very special to me for me to even consider giving myself a head trauma."

"You're not helping. Can we just drop this right now?"

"Okay," Matt said. He and Rob set up their tent. It took a couple of tries to get it set up but they finally did. Rob recalled how much trouble Drake had setting up the tent when they went camping with Josh and Lana once. After Drake and Josh's bickering for about forty minutes Christine and Lana finally put the tents up leaving the men looking a bit sheepish.

"Hey, guys," said their friend Kyle, walking up to them. "Got everything set up?"

"Yeah, I think so," said Rob.

"Great. We were going to attempt to start a fire up soon. Emphasis on the word 'attempt.'"

"Oh, yes," said Matt. "I will laugh my ass off watching you try to start one, I'm sure."

"You're such a great friend, Matt," said Kyle sarcastically.

"Aw, thanks. I love you too, man."

"Oh, geez, don't say that."

"Only a man comfortable in his sexuality can say he loves another man," said Rob.

"Okay, stop, please," said Kyle.

"Well..."

* * *

Christine sat on the sofa in the living room. She was reading a book while Drake was loading the dishwasher. He claimed it was because she did an awful lot of the housework, and she deserved to sit and relax. Christine knew he was thinking about later, but she wasn't going to argue a good thing. 

Drake walked into the living room. He sat down next to her and let out a sigh.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

"Rob's been acting strange. He acted the same way this morning that he did last night."

"Oh, that," Christine responded. "Don't worry about it. It's nothing...well, something to him, anyway, but it's not going to do him any harm."

"How do you know it's nothing? He could have found that letter."

"I know it's not the letter."

"How do you know it's not the letter?"

"Oh, something happened today, and let's just say, it cleared up a lot."

"What happened?" Drake asked.

"I'd tell you," Christine said, "but I don't think he wants us to know about it."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm sure if he wanted us to know about it, he would have told us about it."

"How do you know, then?"

"Something just happened after school today. I promise you, it's nothing more than any other teenage boy would think about. Trust me."

"Okay," said Drake. He sat quietly for a moment. "...so, what are we going to do tonight?"

* * *

Rob stared into the flames that were creeping up into the night air. It was nine o'clock, and the guys were running out of things to talk about already. 

"So," said Tyler, the fourth member of their group. "How's the search for Homecoming dates?"

"I'm asking Jill Meadows," said Kyle.

"Nice. She's been looking at you since you took your shirt off at the track meet last year."

"I know. What about you, Tyler?"

"I'll probably ask Jessica Miles. Man, did she look hot at the Kramer's summer barbeque."

"Speaking of the Kramers," said Kyle. "I think the daughter is the one Rob wants to ask to Homecoming."

"Huh?" asked Rob.

"Lucy Kramer," said Tyler. "The object of your affection ever since you first laid eyes on her when we were in seventh grade. I remember our freshman year of high school. You were a wreck because you didn't get to see her at all that year."

"Yeah, thanks," said Rob.

"Now, now," said Matt. "I'm sure that year was hard for him. Let's not make fun. However, you better ask her before someone else does."

"I know," said Rob. "I just need to figure out if she likes me at all or not."

"How?" asked Tyler.

"Caitlyn's talking to her this weekend. She's going to try and get some information out of her."

"Nice," said Kyle. "Hey, Matt, your date's helping Rob get his date."

"Wait...what?" asked Rob.

"I asked Caitlyn to Homecoming," said Matt.

"Oh," said Rob.

"Does that bother you?" Matt questioned.

"No, of course not. Why would you think it would bother me?"

"Because she's like a sister to you."

"Not a sister," Rob said.

"Whatever you say," Matt replied.


	5. Ch 4: And So, the Clouds Begin to Gather

_One Step at a Time_

Disclaimer: All characters, etc., belong to their owners...yep...just wrote this story here.

**Chapter 4: And So, the Clouds Begin to Gather**

* * *

Rob walked up Caitlyn's porch on Sunday. He felt anxious because he really wanted to know what Lucy had said about him. He rang the doorbell and bounced on the balls of his feet. Caitlyn answered the door, not at all surprised to see Rob standing there. 

"And what did you want on this beautiful Sunday morning?" Caitlyn asked.

"I was hoping you had something to tell me," said Rob.

"Well, I kinda do." She walked out onto the porch.

"What'd she say?" Rob asked.

"Well, you get right to the point, don't you?"

"Please, Caitlyn?"

"She thinks you're cute."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but so does the rest of the female population at Belleview."

"That means I have a chance, though."

"You have a point there," she replied, smiling.

"I hear you're going to Homecoming with Matt."

"Oh, yeah. I didn't know if anyone else would ask, so I said I'd go with him."

"I see," said Rob. "Well, good to know. I have to be getting home now. Drake was on my case about being home on time today. I don't know why, but it sounded important. I'll be eighteen soon, then he'll be off my back. I can't wait."

"What are you going to do after you graduate?"

"I don't know," said Rob. "I don't know what to do with my life. I don't have real parents to point me in the right direction."

"How can you not consider Drake and Christine your parents?" Caitlyn asked. Her tone was a bit harsh.

"I knew my real parents. My mom left, and my dad died. I still knew them both. Drake and Christine have just taken care of me. Drake's my brother. He's done a good job, but I...I just don't know if they're real parents or not."

"What about Christine?"

"She loves Drake. I always assumed that's why she helped take care of me."

"I highly doubt that's the only reason," said Caitlyn.

"I'll never know," said Rob. "I'll probably take off as soon as I graduate. I really don't have any family here. Drake's only my half brother. Sure he's taken care of me all these years, but I need to know who my real family is."

"I think you're being ridiculous," said Caitlyn. "Your real family is the one that loves you."

"Right. I've thought about it. Maybe Drake felt obligated to take me. I told him I wanted him to after all. My dad left it in his will, but my mom could have easily said no. I don't know why she didn't."

"I'm sure she had her reasons," said Caitlyn. She was growing annoyed with Rob. He couldn't figure out why. She started to sound bitter. "If Drake and Christine want you home on time, you should probably go."

"Okay," said Rob, without a clue as to what he said that could have upset her. "See you later."

* * *

Rob walked inside the house to find Drake and Christine both sitting in the living room. Angela wasn't there. 

"Where's Angela?" he asked.

"Still with her grandparents," said Drake. "Right now we have to talk to you."

"Okay," said Rob, sitting down.

Drake paced the living room for a moment. He was clutching an envelope in his hand.

"About a week ago, a letter came in the mail," Drake began.

"Okay," said Rob.

"I wasn't sure what to do or what to say. It's been a long time, and..." Drake sighed. This was hard. He forgot everything he planned on saying to Rob and just held the envelope out to him.

Rob carefully took the envelope. It was addressed to him. He looked at the return address. It was from New York. He felt his palms grow sweaty as he stared at the address. It couldn't be. He didn't want to look at the top line of the return address. It would only confirm who he thought it was. He didn't want this conflict. It would be too much his senior year of high school. He finally read the name.

_Sylvia Parker_. Yes, he was right. It was his mother. She had been widowed before a divorce happened. She kept the name Parker, apparently. Maybe it was because she felt terrible that Ford's first heart attack was partially her fault, and he'd died before they could come to any closure in the family. Perhaps she just felt guilty.

"We don't know why she's writing to you now," said Drake. "It was just in the mail."

"Do you want to read it?" Christine asked.

Rob stared at the envelope. Christine had asked a question he didn't know the answer to but he was glad she asked. It meant he had a choice in the matter. He wondered if he should open it. The amount of time it took her to write to him seemed like too much. However, maybe he needed to read it. Maybe there would be things in this letter that would make him feel better about everything that had happened. He was scared, but he knew what he wanted to do.

Rob carefully tore open the envelope. He tugged the sheet of paper out and unfolded it. He began to read. As he read, he couldn't imagine why she'd wait until now to write. She soon began to explain that she knew it had been a long time, but she knew he was growing up and wanted to know how he had turned out. Rob sighed at that. She'd never asked about him before now, had she? He knew Drake or Christine must have written to her a few times to let her know how his grades were, but other than that, Rob had no contact with her at all.

"She wants to see me," he finally said. "She wants me to go to New York for the summer after I graduate."

Christine shifted uneasily.

"Well," said Drake. "What do you want to do?"

"I don't know. I need some time to think about it."

"Right," said Drake. "Take as long as you need."

"Thanks," Rob said, as he folded the letter and put it back in the envelope. He went up to his room to wonder about Caitlyn, Lucy, and his mother.

"What if he wants to go?" Christine asked.

"I don't know. He'll be eighteen by then. It'd be too hard to tell him what to do," Drake replied.

"I'm sure he'll choose what's best," said Christine. "I'm going to go pick up Angela. I'll be back soon."

Christine left, leaving Drake sitting on the sofa to ponder his thoughts. Would Rob go see Sylvia? It had been a long time, but Drake had gone to see Ford after that long, and he hadn't even been invited. Did Rob want answers? But what could Rob possibly want answers to? Hadn't Drake told him enough about the adoption? Hadn't he understood at the time? What was left?

* * *

Rob paced his bedroom. This was all too strange. His mother wanted to see him? He knew what he wanted to know. Why hadn't she bothered to take him when his father died? Why had she let Drake, who was only twenty at the time, adopt him? Why? 

Rob wanted the answers, but he didn't know whether he should go see her or not. It wasn't like she had tried to be a part of his life in the past. And she wanted to see how he turned out? What did she expect? And would she answer all his questions? She seemed to be avoiding him for most of his life. What was up with that? Rob shook his head. He had a long time to decide this, and he wasn't going to rush it. He'd make his decision after he thought about it for a while.

But now Rob had other things on his mind. Number one, asking Lucy to the dance. Number two, finding out why Caitlyn got upset with him that morning. He opted to figure out the latter now. He picked up the phone and dialed Caitlyn's number. After three rings, she answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Caitlyn, it's Rob..."

"What is it?"

"What is with you?"

"Nothing."

"You were angry at me this morning."

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"But..."

"Just forget it."

"Fine," said Rob. There was no use arguing with her.

"What did Drake and Christine want?"

"My mom wrote me a letter."

"Now?"

"Yes, and she wants me to go to New York this summer."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Her letter said something about wanting to see how I turned out. She hasn't spoken, written, or emailed in _years_, and she wants to see me now. I don't understand."

"Do you understand what I mean now by the family that loves you?"

"Would you get off my case about that? They took care of me, yes. They loved me, yes, but are they seriously my family? I know who my real parents are."

"I quit," said Caitlyn and hung up her phone.

Rob stared at his phone, wearing a shocked expression. What was her deal? Then again, maybe he shouldn't have snapped at her. She was only asking a question, but she seemed to take it offensively when he responded. Then guilt began to set in. She had just done him a favor by talking to Lucy because he was too much of a coward to do it himself. Rob sighed. He had no idea what to do. He knew there was one person who could deal with women: Drake.

Rob made his way downstairs and walked toward Drake, who seemed to be deep in thought.

"Uh, Drake," said Rob.

"Huh?" Drake responded, emerging from his thoughts.

"I needed some help."

"With what?"

"A girl."

"Oh. What do you need?"

"Well, Caitlyn's kind of mad at me."

"What'd you do?"

"I don't know."

"Okay, that sounds about right."

"We were just talking about—family—and she got upset with me. I don't know what to do to make up with her. I mean, she did me a favor while I was gone, and I feel bad now."

"Well, women are complicated like that."

"I've noticed. Could you please explain to me how one manages to make nice with their friend who just happens to be a girl?"

"That is one department I don't have much experience in. You forget that basically the only girl I really ever had for a friend was Christine. Maybe flowers. I don't know. I did that once. She was dating someone else too. Oh, that felt good to do."

"Uh, Drake. Caitlyn's allergic."

"What?"

"She can't handle pollen."

"Uh, well, then I'm not sure. Try renting a movie you both like or something. Something funny. That's always fun. And you make the snacks. Show her you want to do something for her."

"That's actually a good idea," said Rob.

"Actually?" Drake asked.

"Yeah, sure. Uh, just how many times did you and Christine argue when you were friends?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe one or two major arguments. There were some little ones that didn't matter much too."

"It must be worse with a marriage."

"Well, that all depends..."

"DRAKE! YOU SAID YOU'D TAKE THESE NEWSPAPERS TO BE RECYCLED FRIDAY! WHY ARE THEY STILL IN THE GARAGE? I CAN'T HAVE THEM IN HERE ANOTHER WEEK!"

"...on whether or not you remember your chores...Christine, I'm sorry. I know what I said..." Drake got up to go explain about the stacks of newspapers that were making it nearly impossible to park in the garage. Rob shook his head, laughing, as Angela skipped through the room.

"Why is Mommy yelling at Daddy?" she asked.

"Because he didn't do what he said he'd do."

"Did he promise?"

"I guess so," said Rob.

"DADDY!" Angela yelled, heading toward her parents. "YOU SHOULDN'T BREAK YOUR PROMISES TO MOMMY!"

Rob fell backward on the couch, laughing.


	6. Ch 5: One Moment

_One Step at a Time_

Disclaimer: All characters, etc., belong to their owners...yep...just wrote this story here.

A/N: A very touchy subject is mentioned in this chapter. If you can't read something with a subject of suicide, I suggest you skip this chapter. No one dies, but it is a topic in this chapter.

**Chapter 5: One Moment**

* * *

Rob stared into the bathroom mirror the next morning, practicing how he would ask Lucy to Homecoming. He felt silly after a while. Besides, he had to leave for school. He was going to be late if he didn't leave in the next five minutes. 

When Rob did arrive at school, Matt ran up to him.

"I hear you're asking Lucy Kramer to the dance."

"Why do these things spread so fast?" asked Rob.

"I don't know. They just do. Anyway, good luck."

"Thanks, I'll need it."

* * *

Drake made his way down to the emergency room. He'd been called down because a teenager had been brought in and the doctor had thought he should speak with a psychiatrist, so Drake had been sent down. He walked into the emergency room and shook his head. Memories of that day that Ford died were trying to cloud his mind. It happened every time he came down here. It wasn't that bad anymore. Drake had come to terms with Ford's death and soon figured there was nothing to fear from the hospital when he was in college. 

He met the doctor who had called for a psychiatrist.

"Dr. Parker, meet Jeff Malone. He tried to hang himself in his home. He succeeded in giving himself rope burns around his neck, but it was a suicide attempt, which is why you're here. Luckily, the rope broke, so he couldn't complete his suicide."

"I see," said Drake. He peered at the boy on the bed. "How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

"I see. So, got your driver's license?"

"Yes."

"Girlfriend?"

"She dumped me."

"I see." Drake considered this. Yes, it happened at times. When couples would break up, one of the two might try to commit suicide. This could be the situation. He'd have to ask some more questions. "I'm sure there's someone else who'd be looking for a guy like you."

"Maybe." Jeff apparently didn't talk much.

"You loved her?"

"Yeah...a lot."

That was most likely what this was about. Jeff might also be depressed. It just added fuel to the fire.

"You're a psychiatrist?" Jeff asked.

"Yes," Drake responded.

"They think I'm crazy."

"You're not crazy. You're just going through a difficult time and thought you'd found a solution. The wrong solution, but to you, it was a good one."

"The wrong one? Yeah, right. My parents wouldn't care."

"I think you're wrong. Trust me, as a parent myself, it's the last thing you want your child to do."

"Then you're a good one. Keep being that way. Mine just don't care."

"Okay, Jeff. I think things will be better if you saw a professional more regularly. I think you should make an appointment with another psychiatrist. There's a very good one whose office is about half an hour away from here. He'll be happy to see you."

"You think I'm crazy."

"I already told you I didn't."

"Did you mean it?"

"I never say anything unless I mean it."

"Then how come my appointment can't be with you?"

"Because I don't have an office. This is my fellowship."

"You're still in school?"

"I'm officially a doctor. This is just to fulfill some last requirements. By the way, all doctors are still learning. There's always new studies, techniques, and prescriptions."

"So, this guy, is he good?"

"Of course he is, or I wouldn't send anyone to him."

"I guess."

"I'll have to talk to your parents when they get here."

"Okay. Tell them whatever you want."

* * *

Rob walked toward Lucy's locker before lunch. He felt butterflies in his stomach. He'd managed to fix one of his three problems. He'd asked Caitlyn about a movie, and she agreed. He was thrilled. Now all he had to do was ask Lucy to Homecoming and figure out what to do about his mother. The latter seemed easier at the moment. 

His steps felt heavy, and he couldn't focus. He was Drake Parker's brother, and he was having trouble with talking to girls? That was what Josh would do, and Rob wasn't related to him by blood. Maybe it rubbed off on him those couple years they'd lived with Josh.

After a few moments, Rob realized he was right in front of Lucy. He felt himself go numb. This wasn't how asking a girl out was supposed to feel, was it? He'd done it in the past. How come it was scary now? Rob wanted to run and hide, but he couldn't. Lucy had seen him.

"Hi, Lucy," said Rob.

"Hey, Rob," she said, digging through her locker for her chemistry book.

The fact that she said his name almost made Rob forget why he was at her locker. He snapped back to reality and began to ask his question.

"Uh, so, Lucy, has anyone asked you to Homecoming yet?"

"No," she said. "Mainly because Todd and I just broke up last night. Has word got around that fast? I'm not surprised."

Rob nearly smacked himself in the forehead. Of course she was dating Todd. Well, had been dating Todd. But this was good and bad. She had no date, and Rob was the first to ask her. It was bad if she told him she wasn't ready for a date. But it was Homecoming. Was she really going to say no to that?

"Oh, yeah," said Rob, figuring that agreeing would be best. "I was sort of wondering if maybe you wantagowifme."

"Pardon?" she asked because he had mumbled the last part.

"I wondered if you wanted to go with me to Homecoming."

"Oh," she said. "Yes, I will go with you."

"Really?" asked Rob.

"Yeah. We'll discuss the details later. I have to get to class."

With that, Lucy turned and walked away, as her skirt still swayed in his direction. Rob slumped against the lockers and pinched himself. It wasn't a dream. Lucy Kramer, the girl he'd had a crush on for years had said that she would go to Homecoming with him. He was jumping up and down inside. He suddenly heard the bell ring. He was late. That didn't matter. Lucy Kramer had said yes.

* * *

Drake walked up to the Malones. He was not looking forward to talking to Jeff's parents. His mother looked a bit uptight. His father stood in back of her. Drake had been rehearsing in his head what he was going to tell these people. How do you break down that someone's child tried to commit suicide? Well, they already knew what he did, but Drake had to speak with them and try to get them to understand. This was not his favorite part. 

"Hi," said Drake, approaching the boy's parents. "I'm Dr. Parker. I spoke with your son, Jeff, today."

"Oh, why did he do this?" his mother asked. "We've done our best to give him a good home, and..."

"I doubt it's that," said Drake. "I just wonder if he could possibly be depressed or have a different disorder. I'd like to recommend that he go see Dr. Troy for a few sessions to be evaluated. He should be able to help him."

"Why?" asked Jeff's mother. "Did he tell you these things? Is there something seriously wrong that he told you about? Has anyone hurt him?"

"No," said Drake. "It's just, from what he did tell me, I'm concerned that he might have a disorder of some kind. If he doesn't, wonderful, but that also means there's something else that's bothering him. I think the best thing to do right now would be to have him evaluated, and then you can work from there."

"I don't think so," said his mother. "My son is not crazy, and I highly doubt he'd do this again after this incident. In fact, I'll make sure this never happens again."

The boy's father stood there looking helpless.

"No one said Jeff is crazy," said Drake. "I'm just worried that he may try again. If he doesn't receive help, the risks are higher that he will try again."

"No. It will not happen," said Jeff's mother. "He won't do it again. You can count on that."

"But..."

"No, I will not have you stand here and insult my son."

Drake was trying to keep a cool head, but this lady was irritating him.

"Ma'am, the _best_ thing you can do for Jeff is to have him evaluated. If he is diagnosed with something, then he will be able to receive help and hopefully move past this. But he can't unless he's evaluated."

"Who do you advise he see?" asked Jeff's father. His voice startled Drake since he hadn't spoken at all while Drake was trying to deal with Mrs. Malone.

"Dr. Troy," Drake replied. He wrote the name and number down and handed it to Jeff's father. His mother snatched it.

Drake sighed. He went to go speak with Jeff. As he headed in Jeff's direction, he noticed Jeff's mother slip the paper into the trash out the corner of his eye. Drake shook his head. This wouldn't do. He wrote down the name and number again. He handed it to Jeff and told him to give it to his dad.

* * *

"Oh, that woman was impossible," Drake said as he dropped forks around the dinner table. "Dealing with parents can get so annoying." 

"Yes, it can," said Christine, all to aware of how parents could act when it came to their children.

"Oh, right," he replied.

"Either way, don't worry about it. It's out of your hands."

"I guess. This is just so frustrating, and I can't tell you anymore without crossing the line." Really, all he'd told Christine was that someone had come into the emergency room with a serious problem, and the parents would not listen to reason.

"I know," Christine replied. "But hopefully they'll realize what's best eventually."

"I would never do that if it were Rob or Angela."

"Neither would I, but that's because we know. Just hope they straighten it out."

Drake was stressed that day. Not only did he have to deal with Jeff's parents, but one of the other psychiatrists in the fellowship had gotten a severe case of the flu and was at home. Somehow Drake ended up being the one stuck with the extra load. Needless to say, he had a headache, and all he wanted to do was go to bed. He leaned against the counter and shook his head. Christine nudged his arm and handed him two aspirin. She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a kiss on the cheek before going back to finising dinner.

* * *

Later, Drake sat in the living room. His headache had subsided a bit, but he was exhausted. He wouldn't feel this way if he hadn't had to do all that extra work today. Rob was sitting in a chair opposite Drake, doing his homework. He erased a line of his problem and began again. How he hated calculus. He was only in the class because he knew how to do it, and he'd have much less math classes in college if he passed the A.P. exam in the spring. 

Christine walked into the room and noticed how tired Drake looked. She gently rubbed his shoulders. His muscles felt tense. He tried to relax, but he kept thinking about Jeff Malone and his mother. Would his father take matters into his own hands and call Dr. Troy? Or would he not because his wife seemed that dominating? Or would Jeff not give him the number at all? Drake sighed. Christine was right, it was out of his hands, and he really couldn't do anything else.

"Are you all right?" Christine asked.

"Yes," Drake responded. "I'll put Angela to bed tonight. I need to do something productive that's not going to stress me out."

"Okay," said Christine. "Oh, what are you doing the first Saturday in October?"

"Uh, that I know of, nothing. Why?"

"Homecoming is that weekend."

"Oh, okay."

"Wait, why do you need to know what Drake's doing?" asked Rob.

"I always chaperone at Homecoming, you know that," Christine replied. "I have to make sure someone's here for Angela."

Rob couldn't believe he'd forgotten. It was like having your mother there. He sighed. Did he really want Christine there when he was with Lucy?

"You don't want to take a year off?" Rob questioned.

"Well, I would, but I'd rather chaperone these things now, rather than when I'm sixty-five and have no idea what kind of music is playing."

"I just...you know..." Rob really didn't know how to respond. You never won an argument with Christine, so he wasn't even going to try. Apparently, only Drake could do that. Rob didn't know how he did it. Actually, Drake had told Rob that one of the things he found attractive about Christine was that she could be feisty when necessary. But right now that definitely didn't work in Rob's favor.

"By the way," said Drake, "do you have a date yet?"

"Yes," said Rob.

"I hope you don't have more than one," said Christine, eyeing Drake.

"Hey, I was a sophomore. You weren't even there."

"It was still an interesting story."

"I'm glad Josh stopped seeing Mindy. She can't poison your mind with these stories."

"Actually," Christine smiled, "Your mother told me that one."

Drake looked sheepish.

"Definitely only have one," Rob snickered.

"Well, who is the lucky girl?" Drake asked.

"Uh..." said Rob. He knew Christine would know her. Lucy Kramer made the math team cool. "Lucy Kramer." He gathered his books and headed up to his room.

"The boy aims high," said Christine.

"Huh?" asked Drake.

"Lucy Kramer is probably the most popular girl in the junior class. She's on the math team, track team, and sings in the choir. She's definitely attractive too."

"Kramer...she's not related to Neil is she?"

"Neil talks about her all the time."

"Oh, yeah," said Drake. "Oh, that's who his sister is." Neil had joined Drake's band again after high school to earn some extra money. He still hadn't left yet. Drake was considering sending a demo cd out because the guys he was currently working with were more into the band than the guys he knew in high school. But Drake wondered if he should. He had a family now, and he had given this all up in the first place. However, Neil did talk about his sister a lot. She was younger than he was, but she definitely sounded like a girl Drake would have dated in high school. "So, he's going with Neil's sister. Wait, she went to one of our gigs once. She was with a different guy. They looked pretty close."

"Oh, that must have been Todd," said Christine. "They broke up last night. Rob must have decided he needed to move quickly."

"How do you know these things?" Drake asked.

"I work at a high school, trust me, news travels fast," she smirked.

"Yes, it does," said Drake. He remembered how quickly the rumor of Christine being dumped by David back in their senior year spread like wildfire because one of the popular girls found out and was afraid that Christine was after Drake now. Then they found out about their relationship, and the entire school nearly flipped upside down because Drake hadn't had a girlfriend in months. Yes, how quickly the rumors at Belleview spread. It was surprising that Christine hadn't heard that Rob asked Lucy to the dance. She knew that tomorrow, that was all she'd hear about.

"Mommy," said Angela. "Will you read to me now?"

"Hey," said Drake, "can Daddy read to you tonight?"

"Okay," Angela yawned.

"Let's go, Angel," said Drake, taking her hand, and heading toward the stairs.

Rob came back down as Drake headed up with Angela. He sat down on the sofa and turned on the television. He squirmed.

"Will Drake get upset if I want to go to New York this summer?" Rob finally asked.

Christine looked shocked. Did he really want to go see her? Would that complete his life? Christine shook her head.

"I don't think so," she replied. "He went to get answers himself. You only saw him for a moment then. You were only five."

"Oh," said Rob. "I guess I remember a little. I just remember Dad saying we were going to go live with the boy who came to the house the year before."

"I see," said Christine. "Do you want to go?"

"I don't know. I'm just trying to figure it out."

"I see," said Christine again. She walked into the kitchen to take the dishes out of the dishwasher. Did Rob want to go and get his answers? Would he treat Sylvia like the mother he never had? Christine felt a tear slide down her face. It was too much.

Drake walked into the kitchen after tucking Angela into bed.

"Are you okay?" he asked, noticing the tear that had made it's way down her cheek.

"It's just been a long day," said Christine.

Drake hugged her. She settled into his arms and sighed. Damn it. She couldn't do that. But Rob obviously didn't want Drake to hear his question. She wouldn't say anything. Rob still didn't know if he wanted to go yet or not.


	7. Ch 6: C'est La Vie?

_One Step at a Time_

Disclaimer: All characters, etc., belong to their owners...yep...just wrote this story here.

**Chapter 6: C'est La Vie?**

* * *

Rob sat on the steps outside of the school. The jacket from his suit was crumpled in his lap. All he wanted to do was crawl into a hole and die. He sat there beating himself up for everything. It had been too good to be true. He should have realized that. No, he had to look at it as a miracle, and that was why he sat alone, broken hearted. 

The rest of his friends were still inside dancing. None of them knew what happened yet. He wished it could stay that way. They'd try to make it better, but sometimes that only made it worse because even though they were just trying to be kind, they'd just remind you of that moment by trying to make you feel better about it. The moment when your world comes crashing down.

Why did he even think that Lucy Kramer would be interested in him? He'd seen her at Drake's gigs because her brother played the drums in the band. She was always with Todd. Evidently, nothing could separate them. Not even the fact that Lucy had a different date.

Rob felt like an idiot. She had said it would be one dance with her ex. It would be fine. Well, the dance turned into a kiss, which turned into making out right there on the dance floor. Rob had run from the gym and outside the school. He had no idea where to go or what to do. The rest of his friends would wonder where he was if he left, but he didn't feel like he could stay there.

He buried his head in his arms. The girl he'd had a crush on for years had hurt him. He couldn't stand it. How did anybody do that to another person? He sighed. He'd never been burned this badly by a girl. Maybe because they hadn't been his crushes as long. He didn't know the reason. He just wanted to go home. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He glanced up to see Christine.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"I don't know," he replied.

"Do you want to go home?"

"Maybe."

"It's your senior year. You can go home now or spend the rest of the night with your friends and have your court dance." Rob had gotten on court that year, just as predicted. He wasn't king, but he didn't care. Actually, he didn't even care that he was on court right now. Nothing really mattered right now.

"It doesn't matter," he said.

"Rob. You don't want to act like that. You still have your court dance. I know you can find a partner."

"What's wrong with me?"

Christine looked startled.

"What do you mean?"

"Is there something about me that turns a girl off? Honestly, I can't seem to catch a break."

"Rob. There's nothing wrong with you. You're a nice guy, and people can take advantage of that when you're not careful."

"Then there's no use in falling in love is there? You and Drake even...I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. And that has nothing to do with here and now. I know it hurts to have the person you care about off with another person. Before Drake and I became a couple, I was dating a guy in San Francisco. He dumped me with a text message. I found out he wanted another girl."

"Didn't that hurt? Didn't it tear you apart?"

"Well, it did hurt for a time. I felt like there was something wrong with me, but when Drake and everyone else who cared about me saw that something was wrong, they tried to make me feel better. Then you realize, you have friends. So it's not something that's wrong with you. The person that hurt you just doesn't realize quite what they're going to miss. You have a lot of friends, Rob. You're going to be fine."

"Maybe," Rob replied. "It's just...I can't...ah, she just hurt me so bad."

"The pain won't end that quickly, but in a little while, you'll feel a lot better. And then sometimes you find that love is where you least expect it."

"Maybe I should go find a partner for the court dance," said Rob.

"I think that's a good idea," Christine smiled.

* * *

Rob woke up Sunday morning, well, afternoon, slipped out of his sleeping bag, and picked himself up off of Matt's bedroom floor. He'd stayed the night at Matt's house after Homecoming. For some reason, even after talking to Christine, his thoughts hadn't settled. He still hated the feeling in the pit of his stomach. It had been a long night. He had come back into the dance and told his friends what had happened. As he'd suspected, they felt sorry for him. He then had the problem of who he could dance with for the court dance. Caitlyn asked Matt if she could, and Matt said he didn't mind. It worked out all right. Rob just wished things could have gone better with Lucy. 

Matt walked into the room to find Rob finally awake.

"Man, you've been sleeping for a long time," Matt said. "Longer than me, and I know I was up longer than you were, but I guess you had the longer night emotionally."

"It's fine," said Rob. "I should probably get home before Drake and Christine wonder where I am."

"Sure," said Matt. Rob gathered the remainder of his things without speaking and headed toward the door. Matt gripped his shoulder. "You know, if you want to talk about it, I'd listen."

"Thanks," Rob replied. "But I don't want to worry too much about it right now."

"Okay," said Matt as he watched Rob head out to his car. He had a feeling there was more to this than Rob was letting on but Matt knew this wasn't a time to argue, so he didn't push it.

* * *

Rob slammed the door when he came home. He didn't care either. He'd just had his heart ripped out. He wasn't going to be careful of the little things yet. 

"Jeez," said Drake as Rob walked into the kitchen. "Watch you don't break the door. I highly doubt I'd be able to fix it, and it's a Sunday. I won't be able to get anyone to fix it until tomorrow...of course, I could call Josh...hmm..."

"Is the damn door all you care about?" Rob asked.

"That's not what I said," Drake responded, taken a back. "And what is the matter with you?"

"Do you really not know? Or am I not supposed to feel this way? Is that it? I'm supposed to run to the next thing in a skirt?"

"Rob, what are you talking about?"

"How do you not know?"

"Not know what?"

"Where's Christine?" Rob sighed.

"In the living room. Why?"

Rob headed into the living room where Christine was sitting on the sofa with Angela. Angela had her coloring book open and was telling Christine which color she wanted each flower to be, and Angela would color the sky while Christine did that.

"Uh, did you happen to mention what happened last night to Drake?" Rob asked.

"No," Christine replied.

"Why not?"

"Because I didn't know that you wanted him to know. You don't talk about girls much."

"Oh," said Rob. "Did you know about her before?"

"Yes," Christine responded. "I didn't say anything because I knew you didn't want Drake or I to know for some reason."

"Oh," Rob said again. "Uh, thanks...I guess."

"Mommy," said Angela. "You still have to make this one pink."

Rob turned and headed up to his room. He slammed his door and picked up his pillow and threw it at the wall. He stared at the picture of the track team hanging in his room. When he looked at Lucy he no longer saw the beautiful young woman he used to see. Now he saw a girl who just wanted to use who she could to get back with her boyfriend. He picked the picture off his wall. He felt like shattering the glass like his heart had been shattered. But he didn't get that chance because Drake walked into the room.

"Don't you knock?" Rob asked, irritated.

"Don't you know how to close a door properly?" Drake questioned, clearly not in a good mood. "Do you mind telling me what that outburst was in the kitchen?"

"I just...I...I got my heart broken last night, happy?"

"How?"

"Lucy ended up with her old boyfriend and decided not to tell me."

"Oh," said Drake. "I'm sorry."

"I don't want sympathy. I just want the pain to go away."

"It will."

"That's what Christine said, but I'm sorry, she had you."

"As a friend. I was her friend then. We weren't in a romantic relationship at that point."

"That's not what Dad said."

"Rob..." Drake was trying not to lose his patience with the argument and at the mention of his father. "Well, no matter what I personally might have felt then, she knew it was friendship. And that's what will get you through this. Or someone else will come along who does care about you."

"And how do you know that?" Rob asked. "How do you know there's someone else for me? How could you have ever had your heart broken like this to not have someone waiting for you? Christine has always been there for you to go back to."

"No, she hasn't," Drake said. "The first time I was going to tell her how I felt about her, she introduced me to her boyfriend. If anything hurts just as much as what happened to you tonight, it's that."

"And I'm supposed to be just like you, right?"

"Excuse me?"

"Do you know how many people think of me as your brother? I can't just be Rob. I have to be Drake's younger brother. They all expect me to be like you."

"Does everyone else expect that or do you expect that?"

"I...no...I just...I can't be just like you...it just doesn't...ah, I need to be alone."

"Fine," said Drake. "But slamming the door will solve nothing. Hanging out with your friends and family will make you forget about her. Besides, no one expects you to be me. If anything, I'd rather you weren't like me in high school. I'm actually worried about you. You haven't mentioned college in months. I have no idea where you want to go. If you want to go anymore. Rob, think about yourself for a while. Don't give in to what others are saying."

Rob watched Drake walk out of the bedroom. Rob knew it wasn't just himself who thought he was supposed to be like Drake. How many people at school liked him because he was Drake's brother? He had to be his own person. He couldn't be just like Drake. But who was he really?


	8. Ch 7: I'll Be Home for Christmas

_One Step at a Time_

Disclaimer: All characters, etc., belong to their owners...yep...just wrote this story here.

**Chapter 7: I'll Be Home for Christmas**

* * *

It was Christmas Eve, and Rob lie awake in his bed. Not for the reason he used to lie awake, which was due to excitement of what was coming the next day. No, that's not what was keeping him awake this time. Tonight, he couldn't sleep for the same reason that had kept him awake night after night the past few months. A question he just couldn't find an answer to: Who was he? 

It was silly because he was Robert Parker, son of Ford and Sylvia Parker. He was one Belleview's track stars and all around good student. But those were really just basic facts. Who was he really? He'd been thinking about this a lot lately. It took Lucy Kramer shattering his heart into a million pieces to make him see that these thoughts were at the back of his mind. Christmas was supposed to be a happy time, and here he was, thinking about what he really wanted. His own life.

Sure, people knew him for running track, but he was still more well known for being brother to Drake Parker. He didn't want that anymore. He wanted to know who he really was. Was he really like Drake? Was he really like Ford? Or was he like his mother back in New York? He just had to know.

Where was he going to find these answers? Here in California? Or was he going to take his mom's offer and go to New York for the summer? He turned over in his bed, trying to get comfortable. He still had a few months to decide, so he shouldn't worry himself about it this much. So why was it eating away at him? Did he feel he had to decide now? Actually, if he did decide now, he wouldn't worry about it later. But now he was thinking like Josh. There's a thought. Did he want to be like Josh? Was he like Josh? No. Josh was too...spazzy. Rob sighed.

Soon it would be Christmas morning, and it would be time for family. The past few years, Rob had been starting to feel distant from the family. It was like he was just the random guy living in the house. He had no idea who his real family was. He'd known his father until he died, but he'd known his mother for a shorter amount of time. Drake couldn't tell him much about his mother. His father, yes, although, it might have been slightly biased information, but Rob couldn't blame Drake for that. If Rob had gone through what Drake had, he'd probably feel bitter toward his father too.

Rob glanced over at the clock. It was 4:30 in the morning. He might as well forget about sleep. Angela would be up in about fifteen minutes and would be begging him to get up so they could open presents. There was no way he'd sleep through that. She'd jump on the bed and laugh until he finally came downstairs. He used to think that was fun. A Christmas morning ritual they had. Sometimes he'd pretend to still be asleep which would make Angela giggle, but his heart wasn't in it this year. He didn't even make a list this year. What he wanted, no one could just give him, that was his own life.

Instead, he got up and headed down to the kitchen. He began to make a pot of coffee. If he was going to get through the morning, he'd need it. He had no idea how he was going to get through the day. They were going to Audrey and Walter's for Christmas dinner. They hadn't been to Christine's family's for the holidays in years. She'd had a terrible falling out with her step-father some time before Angela was born. The reason was that she and Drake had fallen behind on a few bills. It wasn't easy with Drake in medical school and Christine only starting her career. He wasn't exactly sure what happened, but he figured it had something to do with "that rock star husband." Actually, the guy was such an ass to Drake. Drake was trying to get through medical school, and he was working besides that. Instead of offering a check, which Drake and Christine would turn down anyway, but it still would have been decent to offer it, he asked Christine if she wanted to move back home. Rob wanted to bop this guy in the head. He was incredibly kind to Christine's mother and Christine...until the argument that day. They hadn't visited Ruby and Tim since. Ruby they saw, but they never visited when Tim was home. Rob remembered the day clearly. Christine had argued with Tim, argued some with her mother, then when they got home, she argued with Drake. Definitely not a day Rob wanted to remember.

Rob heard noises upstairs and knew Angela was probably waking up Drake and Christine. He sighed. When was the last time he had been able to do that with his parents? Years. He hadn't when he and his father lived with Drake's family that one year. He had the previous year and the years before, but it was gone when his mother left. Maybe that was what he needed, to see his mother. He knew Drake and Christine weren't his real parents. It hurt, but it was true. They never had been, and they never would be.

Did that mean he should go see his mother? Really, it would only be for the summer. What would it hurt? It might even answer some of his questions. It would be worth it to find out more about his parents, and he'd find out more about who he was. Would Drake and Christine like that? They had said it was his choice. But what if that was what they said just to make him happy? This was all very confusing. He had no idea what to do. Part of him desperately wanted to go to New York, but something else felt like he wanted to stay in California.

* * *

Rob sat on the sofa while everyone else was talking in the kitchen and Angela and Rose were playing near the tree in the living room. Rob glanced over at the two girls. They were happy and carefree. Why couldn't his life still be like that? He sighed. 

It was Christmas. Why couldn't he be happy? Everyone from Drake's family was at the house. Megan and Josh came with Lana and Rose. Why couldn't this cheer him up? Josh walked out of the kitchen to find Rob sitting on the couch. He appeared to be drowning in misery.

"What's up?" Josh asked, sitting down next to Rob.

"Nothing," Rob replied. He glanced over at Josh. "Josh, if you could...if you had the chance...would you want to speak to your mother again?"

Josh looked startled at the question. He hadn't been expecting a question like that.

"Well," said Josh. "Of course I do. She was a big part of my life. To see her once again would make me happy."

"What about how Audrey would feel?" Rob asked.

"Well, I'm sure she'd support it. She would want me to be happy."

"I see," said Rob.

"Angela, Rob," said Drake, walking into the room. "Time to say goodbye. We need to go home now."

"Okay," said Rob.

"Daddy," said Angela, looking up at him with sweet little eyes.

"It's getting late," Drake said. "You need to get home and go to bed."

"All right," Angela finally relented. She yawned.

"See?" said Drake chuckling. "You're sleepy."

Angela crawled into Drake's arms.

"You know," he said. "You're getting pretty big."

"I know," Angela replied.

"Ready?" Drake asked Rob.

"Yeah," he said, standing up. Rob left the room and headed into the kitchen.

"Is something up with Rob?" Josh asked.

"I don't know," Drake replied. "I've been worried about him. He's been acting strange ever since Homecoming. It's like he completely fell apart after that. It's weird. I can't talk to him anymore. Not that you can talk to a teenager, but I can't figure this one out." He noticed Angela had fallen asleep. He tried to make her comfortable.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Josh responded.

"What if I've done something wrong?" Drake asked.

"Hey, you've done the best you can."

"What if that's not good enough?"

"Drake, he went through so much when he was little, and all he wanted was for you to take care of him. You didn't quit until you were allowed to adopt him. And don't you think being a doctor sets a good example?"

"It's just...I wasn't always home, and I..."

"I'm not always home. It's called a job. It makes us not see our families for hours everyday, but if we want to take care of them...well."

"_Our_ families? No offence, but you live by yourself."

"Well, maybe not for long."

"Why not? Are you going to ask Lana..."

"No," said Josh, eyeing Angela to make sure she was asleep. "I'm not asking that. We're moving in together at a larger apartment than what she has with Rose."

"Hey, way to go. It is weird, though."

"What?"

"That I'm married now, and you're the one still dating."

"I didn't have my world change my junior year of high school to make that happen."

"Good point," Drake responded.

"You ever miss it?" Josh asked.

"Miss what?"

"Dating other girls."

"Well, after being married for seven years, I think I'm content with not. Besides, I haven't talked to many women outside of school, anyway. That takes up a lot of time."

"I suppose it does."

"I wouldn't give up what I have for anything. Not after I worked so hard to get it."

"Drake Parker understands the value of hard work? Wow, I thought I'd never see the day."

"Okay, you can stop now."

"I'm just getting started."

"Goodbye, Josh..."

* * *

It was late, and Angela was in bed already. Drake, Christine, and Rob were still awake. Drake was flipping through the instruction manuel to one of the toys Angela had gotten for Christmas. She'd begged him to have it finished before she woke up the next morning. Drake hadn't known how he agreed, but he had. He'd had trouble putting it together and wasn't using the instructions as much as Christine asked him. Finally, after jamming his hand, he'd decided to read the instructions. 

Meanwhile, Christine was reading and Rob was sitting on the sofa, deep in thought. He honestly didn't know what to do. His real family was in New York, weren't they? He knew he had a choice to make. He sighed. He finally knew what he was going to do.


	9. Ch 8: Truths Revealed Once Again

_One Step at a Time_

Disclaimer: All characters, etc., belong to their owners...yep...just wrote this story here.

**Chapter 8: Truths Revealed Once Again**

* * *

Rob flipped through his calculus book. It was already the beginning of April, and he needed to catch up on his math because the A.P. test was next month. His grades had slipped some because he seemed to be paying less attention to studying. Whenever Drake or Christine tried to ask what was wrong, he replied, "nothing." 

This answer was becoming bothersome to Drake. He really didn't want to break whatever bond he had with Rob and was trying his best to see what was wrong.

Drake knocked on Rob's door, careful since Homecoming earlier that year.

"Yeah?" Rob asked.

"I wondered if we could talk," Drake said.

"About what?"

"Something's bothering you, isn't it?"

"Why do you think that?"

"Because your grades haven't been as high as normal, and you didn't run track this spring. Rob, something must be wrong."

"I just...I don't know."

"Does this have anything to do with that letter?"

Rob sighed. That was exactly what it was. He knew what he wanted to do, but he had no idea how to tell Drake and Christine.

"I just, I'm kind of lost," Rob responded.

"Rob, whatever you decide I'm sure will work out for you."

"I guess."

Drake decided to change the subject. This obviously brought down Rob's mood.

"So, have you decided to go to prom with anyone yet?" Drake asked.

"No," said Rob. "I don't know who to ask."

"Why don't you ask Caitlyn?"

"Yeah...I don't think so."

"You can go to prom as friends."

"You were dating Christine when you went to prom."

"We had promised each other when we weren't dating that we'd go to prom together...it would have happened either way."

"There you go, acting like I'm supposed to be like you again."

"Rob. That's not what I said."

"Then what do you mean?"

"I mean, if you're not going to ask a girl you like, then why not go with your best friend and have a good time?" Drake sounded annoyed. Rob's attitude lately had spread throughout the entire house.

"She already has a date, and maybe I don't even want to go," said Rob.

"Well, that's just fine," said Drake. "I'm not going to force you." With that, Drake left the room. He headed into his bedroom and picked up his guitar. He played for a while until he cooled down. All of the conversations he'd had with Rob lately were ending that way. When Rob was younger, Drake felt he could almost be a father to him, but lately, it seemed Rob was growing far too distant to allow anyone to be his family.

* * *

Rob had taken quite a long time to come home from school a week later. It was nearly eleven o'clock. Drake sat near the door. When Rob walked inside, Drake didn't say a word. He only sighed. 

"What was that for?" Rob asked.

"You've been coming home later and later everyday lately. You don't call. You don't tell us where you're going to be. What's going on?"

"Nothing," said Rob.

Drake sighed again.

"Listen," he said. "Until you graduate, you tell us where you are. You call when you're late."

"Then I graduate, and I'm not your problem anymore, right?" Rob responded as he headed upstairs.

Drake buried his head in his hands. Why was this all of a sudden a problem? Was he having trouble trying to decide about visiting his mother?

Drake got up and sat down in the living room. He didn't know what to do. Things had always been complicated, and this was only making it all worse. He'd thought he'd done well so far, but now he felt he hadn't. What was going on? How could he fix this?

"Drake?" he heard Christine call from the stairs. "Aren't you coming to bed?"

"I don't think I could sleep," he responded. Christine sat next to him. "Don't," he said. "You have to go to work early."

"So do you," Christine replied. "Did you find out why Rob came home late?"

"No, he won't talk to me. All he's done lately is accuse me of wanting him to be me. I've never asked that of him. Why does he see it now?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's partly because he's had a rough year. His mother suddenly wrote to him, asking to see him, and the one girl he's had a crush on for a long time really hurt him."

"But I've never said I expected him to be like me, have I? I never pushed him to do anything he was against, did I? We haven't told him we expected more than his best, have we?"

"No," said Christine. "We've done well. You've done well. Maybe he wants his freedom, I don't know. He hasn't said anything about New York?"

"No," Drake replied. "I'd really like to know, though. It's hard to tell right now. And any question I ask turns into a fight. During school, does he talk to you?"

"Not really. He'll barely ask questions from the homework anymore, and he's stopped mentioning when he's going to sports events or just to say a quick, 'See you at home.' I think we need to have a serious talk with him, and you're not going to have it with him by yourself. I can see this stresses you, and when I went into this marriage, I knew that you'd need all the help you could with Rob. And I wouldn't have married you if I didn't want that either."

"I know, it's just hard. I guess we should try to talk to him. Now? Yes, now. But then if arguments happen, I don't want Angela to hear it. Then maybe we should see if my parents can watch her on Sunday. No, because that would stress us both out for work the next day. Of course, we both have work tomorrow anyway. Yes, now."

"Drake, are you sure?"

"Yes."

"What exactly are we going to say?"

"This is all because of that letter. We have to find out if he wants to leave or not."

"Right," Christine said. Her glance slid to the floor. Drake saw this and knew something was wrong.

"What is it?" he asked.

"What if he wants to go?"

"Well, I guess we...what's the harm in letting him go?"

"Nothing, it's just...she hasn't spoken in so long, and now..."

"I know," said Drake.

"Caitlyn's been worried. She said she's worried about who he thinks his family is. I know...I can't...I...we've spent all these years taking care of him, and now we're not...he wants his mother to be someone he hasn't seen in so long..." Tears slid down her face, and Drake had no idea what to do. He had been worried that with the sudden 'I'm not you' statements coming from Rob, this had been the case.

"I know. I feel the same way. I'm scared of that too. You're right, we are the ones who took care of him with no help from her. And it kills me that he might see her as his real family. But we have to do this." Drake didn't know how much this helped. Rob probably had seen more of Christine than Drake himself. If it hadn't been for Christine, Drake never would have gotten through med school while taking care of Rob. He might have taken a job somewhere else and given up, possibly one he didn't even want to do.

"I know. We might as well go get him."

The two went upstairs to Rob's room and knocked on the door.

"What is it?" he asked.

"We need to talk," said Drake.

"It's nearly midnight."

"Downstairs, now," Drake said. His tone was demanding. He hardly ever spoke to anyone that way. This meant that something was clearly wrong and needed to be taken care of immediately. Rob thought about defying Drake for a moment, but he decided not to because of the look on Drake's face. He slowly followed Drake and Christine down the stairs. He knew what was coming, and he knew anyway that he'd have to tell them sooner or later.

Rob sat on a chair while Drake and Christine sat on the sofa.

"Well?" said Rob.

"You've been acting strange for a long time. Ever since October, you've been acting differently," Drake began. He sighed. He was tired and was beginning to regret taking care of this now, but it had to be done. Christine noticed and picked up where Drake left off.

"You haven't called or let us know when you'll be home," she said. "You don't tell us where you are. I know you're eighteen, but we're going to wonder, and we're going to want to know. Not only that, but your homework has been slipping. I've noticed. And it's not just calculus, some of your other teachers have noticed a decline in your work."

"So, it's just senioritis," said Rob. He was looking for a quick way past his slipping grades. It was true, they had slipped.

"What about track?" asked Drake. "Was that senioritis? Did you forget to try out?"

"I had a lot going on," said Rob. He knew the answer wasn't good enough. He hadn't tried out for the track team because he'd have to see Lucy everyday. Besides, why did he run track anyway? Wasn't there more to him than running?

"Rob," said Drake. "Have you been acting this way because of the letter from your mother?" Christine shifted uneasily. Drake knew why she'd been crying in the kitchen back in September now. He wished he could do or say something to make it easier, but Rob might not even go.

Rob stared hard at the floor. He didn't look up. He sighed.

"I decided what I want to do about that."

"And...?" Drake asked.

"I'm going to go."

"What?" Drake asked. "After all these years...?"

"You went after all those years, and Dad didn't even write to you. At least I'm going invited."

"Rob...I just don't."

"If he wants to go to his real mother, there's nothing we can do," said Christine. "After all, he's eighteen." She stood and headed up the stairs. Drake glanced at Rob who had a questioning look on his face.

"You heard her," Drake said. "Go if you want. But, now that we know what's up, you better start pulling your grades back up, and you better start acting right. There's another child in this house who doesn't need that influence." With that, Drake headed up the stairs after his wife. He knew what this was about, and he didn't blame her. She'd spent the last ten years raising Rob. Now he suddenly wanted to go to the woman who as good as abandoned him when he was younger. Drake reached their bedroom and slowly pushed the door open. "Honey?" he said.

She was lying on the bed on her side. She wasn't crying, but Drake knew she wasn't happy.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I'll be fine," she replied.

Drake had no idea what to say. He simply lie down and hugged her. It was all he could do when he felt the same way.

* * *

Rob had gone back to his room and attempted to fall asleep. However, his mind was wracked with the thoughts of what had just happened. He was just doing what Drake had done, what Josh would have done. Wouldn't Drake prefer that he was doing something like that? He was only doing what Drake had and following Josh's advice. Well, he technically hadn't given him advice, but he supposed it was as good as advice. 

Another thing that bothered him was Drake's use of the word "child." "There's another child in this house..." Was he implying that Rob, himself, was still a child? That was ridiculous. Rob was eighteen. He was no longer a child, and he was sick of being treated like one. Yes, it was time to go.


	10. Ch 9: Sorting through the Mess

_One Step at a Time_

Disclaimer: All characters, etc., belong to their owners...yep...just wrote this story here.

**Chapter 9: Sorting through the Mess**

* * *

Christine rang the doorbell of the Parker-Nichols house. She had no idea where else to go. No one else would understand. She had to talk to someone. Drake had tried, but he even said he wasn't sure what to say or do. He admitted he wasn't home as much as Christine was. He understood why she felt the way she did, but try as he might to make her feel better, he didn't know what to say a lot of the time. Christine knew why. Drake _was_ Rob's family by blood. He was having the same trouble she was. Probably even more so, but she knew where she could go. 

Audrey answered the door and was surprised to find her daughter-in-law.

"Christine?" Audrey questioned. "Did you need something?"

"I wondered if Walter was home," Christine replied quietly.

"Yes," said Audrey. "Did you need to talk to him about something?"

"Yeah. If he has the time."

"I'm sure he does," said Audrey. "I'll be right back."

A few minutes later, Walter appeared at the door.

"Can I help you with something?" he asked.

"I need to talk to someone. I don't know who else to go to."

"Okay," Walter responded. "Come on inside, then."

Christine followed Walter into the living room. He sat down in the chair, and she sat down on the sofa. It was quiet until Walter spoke.

"Are you and Drake okay?"

"Oh, yes, we're fine. It's not that. I just...I guess I wanted to ask you how you felt about Drake going to see Ford in the first place."

"I told him to talk to him."

"But how did you feel about it?"

"I didn't know he went to New York the first time. None of us did, except Josh. When I found out, I guess I felt a bit worried. He'd been calling me 'Dad' for so long that I wondered if him seeing Ford would change that."

"I see."

"Is something wrong?"

"Rob's mother has been writing him. She wants to see him." Christine paused. She was tired of going over the story in her mind. "The problem is, it's been a long time since she left Ford, and Rob hasn't seen her since then."

"And you're the one who's taken care of him since you and Drake got married." Walter paused. "It's hard, I know. The thing is, and I hate this, we're not their real parents. We have to accept that they are or were out there."

"I know. It's just, I never..."

"I know. I was scared I would never get that with Drake. I did, but you don't seem to have that with Rob. I'm sorry. I wish I could tell you what to do. It doesn't always happen for everyone."

"I know, and he's allowed to go, he knows that. I'm not his mother, but it's just so hard after so many years..."

"I know. All you can do is support him. He'll appreciate it. Trust me, he'll know how much it hurts you."

"Sometimes I don't know what he thinks. I've spent these last few years trying to figure him out and so has Drake. It's just difficult. I'm not his mom."

"It's all right," said Walter. "I think he's more like Drake than he lets on. If he is, he's probably looking for something."

"I'm worried he doesn't know who he is. He claims he's not Drake...like he's searching himself."

"Maybe he'll come to realize what he's looking for has been with him all along. At least, I sincerely hope so."

"Thank you, Walter."

* * *

Christine left feeling a bit better. She knew she wasn't the only person who had been through something like this, but maybe she would rather have found out after Rob left like Drake's family had. She sighed. Poor Drake. She knew the reason he was having trouble making her feel better about the situation was because he felt he hadn't been around enough for Rob. He had always questioned his moves. He'd put off studying or worry that a large paper was going to get in the way of the things he thought were important. Christine would point out that he had planned this. Then she would feel that was too harsh, so she'd simply tell him his grades were important. She wanted to see him succeed because he wanted to succeed. She knew that Drake was feeling the pressure of Rob leaving too, and because she had urged him to take care of his classes, Christine felt guilty for making him feel that way. But should she? Who would have known this was going to happen? Besides, Drake had done plenty for Rob. It would always feel like it would never be enough, but didn't every parent wish they had done something more? Even the littlest thing? Now that Christine had put her thoughts in order, she had to figure out what was really up with Drake.

* * *

Since school took up a lot of time, Rob decided to get a jump on his packing by packing up his books and things first. He wanted to get a number of things ready to go before he had to leave. He had a suitcase for his books and cds and was looking through them to see which ones he wanted to bring with him that summer. 

He glanced up and noticed Angela standing in the doorway.

"Hey," he said.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Packing my books and cds for the summer."

"Why?" Apparently Drake and Christine hadn't mentioned this to her yet.

"I'm going to see my mom for the summer."

"Your mom?"

"She lives in New York."

"Is that in Los Angeles?"

"No," Rob laughed. "Come here." He motioned her over to his desk and pulled out his social studies book. He flipped open to a United States map. "We're here in San Diego, and my mom lives all the way over in New York over here." He pointed it out to her. "It's pretty far. Miles and miles away."

Angela eyed the map for a moment then glanced back at him.

"What about Mommy?"

"Huh?"

"You said you're going to see your mommy...what about mine?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you like her?"

"Yes..." said Rob, uneasily. "But she's not my mom. Do you understand that?"

"I know that, but why are you leaving?"

"Because I have things to figure out."

"What things?"

"Things that little girls wouldn't understand."

"Are you coming back?"

"Yes," he replied. "I'll be back in the fall when you start kindergarten."

Somehow, she didn't believe him.

* * *

Drake had been extremely quiet lately. It was like he was always thinking about something. He and Christine were getting ready for bed one night. Christine was reading, and Drake was really just sitting on the bed as he did often now. He used to read a report or article or something either relating to medicine or music, but he'd stopped lately. Christine closed her book and gently touched him on the arm. 

"Drake, are you all right?" she asked.

He sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"Yes," he finally replied. It was Christine's turn to sigh.

"Something's bothering you. Now what's the matter?"

"I'm just feeling strange about something."

"What is it?" Christine gently pressed. "Does this have to do with Rob?"

Drake didn't say anything for at least two minutes.

"Yes," he answered at last. "I just wonder if I spent enough time with him while he was growing up."

"Oh, Drake, of course you did. As much as you could."

"But was as much as I could enough?"

"Don't all parents wish they could do something more?"

"Maybe, I just...after Ford died, I actually thought I could be a father to him." Drake paused. "It's clear I don't mean that to him. He's always known who his father was. Maybe he wasn't the best father in the world, but he was his father. I can't change that. Blood is thicker than water."

"Drake, no one has ever expected you to be more than his brother. When you first said you wanted to adopt him, we all stopped to ask if you were crazy. But you loved him so much. We all knew you'd be fine. You've done so well for yourself. Rob has turned out fine. I know what you wanted to be to him, but maybe he could never get past seeing you as his brother."

"I just haven't been around as much as you have. I can't help but think that's the reason why he doesn't see me that way. I'm just the older brother in authority."

"As much as I have been around, he doesn't see me as a parent either. I'm just one of his guardians. It has nothing to do with how long you were around. He's always been old enough to understand that you've needed time to study and work."

"And Angela...am I around enough for her?"

"She loves you so much, Drake. And please don't worry about this anymore. You've only got one year of your fellowship left after this. Then you'll be able to open a practice or something soon and make your own hours instead of running around a hospital and leaving only when your work is done. Maybe you will have to work in a hospital the first year or two, but..."

"Actually, I saw Dr. Reynolds today."

"Oh, really? What did she want?"

"She offered me an office in her building. The doctor there at the moment is retiring at the end of the year, and she told me if I wanted it, she'd save it for me."

"Oh, Drake, that's wonderful," Christine said brightening. To tell the truth, she would prefer to see Drake more often. She knew if he set his own hours, he would be able to be home more. He'd also have more time for his music. It had seemed like he'd stopped that lately. It wasn't often that he got to sit down and play his guitar.

"It's just a huge step. She told me that while the psychiatrists at the hospital may seem pushy, a lot of them have actually been impressed with me. Which is shocking considering Mrs. Hayfer would be saying something along the lines of 'I hate you.' Dr. Reynolds told me I would have no problem being referred patients."

"Are you going to take the office, then?"

"I think so. I want to be home more. Even if I have to get called away on a weekend, at least it won't be every weekend."

"I'm glad things are working out for you. I can't imagine how tired you must be at the end of every day, and I'm proud of you."

"Thank you," Drake replied.

"Now, please don't think this is the reason Rob is acting the way he is. He is eighteen and at least thinks he's an adult. I think the letter from his mother shook him. I wouldn't worry about it anymore. If he finds what he's after, then he's found it. But he's going to be fine because at the very least he's been raised right."

"Yeah, by you."

"Not just me. You were the one who dragged him back to the store after he stole from it. You were the one who came up with the idea to put him in a sport. You were the one who wanted to take care of him in the first place. You owe yourself more than what you think. Just know that."


	11. Ch 10: Say What You Mean, Mean What You

_One Step at a Time_

Disclaimer: All characters, etc., belong to their owners...yep...just wrote this story here.

**Chapter 10: Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say**

* * *

Rob drummed his fingers on Matt's car door. He didn't exactly want to be here. He had finally graduated high school and was going to leave for New York in a few days. His friends had managed to drag him off to a big party at the Kramer's. He didn't want to be anywhere near Lucy. His friends assured him that there would be a lot of people, and he probably wouldn't run into her at all. Her brother's band was playing which meant Drake was playing. Drake was still considered cool to the Belleview students. Nothing had changed that. 

Rob sat in the front seat next to Matt while Tyler and Kyle sat in the backseat. He sighed. He and Matt weren't speaking as much as they should lately. He wasn't speaking as much as he should with Caitlyn either. Caitlyn and Matt were dating. A little after Homecoming they decided to start. That didn't bother Rob. Not much, anyway.

* * *

Rob walked inside the house. He didn't like being here. He didn't even know what he was doing there. If he ran into Lucy, he might have a breakdown, and he was afraid of that. He was also afraid of running into Caitlyn, and he didn't know why. Another reason he was headed to New York was that he couldn't figure out why he felt the way he did about Matt and Caitlyn. They were his friends, and he should be happy for them, but he wasn't. 

Rob kept walking straight ahead. He didn't look around him. He just wanted to get away from everything. Why was he even here? There was no reason for him to be here. He knew the band was set up in the backyard. He knew it was wrong, but a part of him didn't want to see Drake either. He felt awful for thinking that, but he couldn't help but think it.

He finally collapsed on the couch in the Kramer's living room. He didn't really want to talk to anyone at all. He glanced up at the clock. It was eight o'clock. They could all be there until three o'clock in the morning. Of course, the band could probably only play until about eleven or so if the neighbors had anything to say about it. The police would probably get called eventually anyway. He'd be glad to get out of there before that. He was thinking that maybe he'd stick around for a while then go home with Drake. He really didn't see any need to stay at the party. There wasn't anyone he really wanted to talk to there.

He sat there for about half an hour while everyone else walked around him, dancing, talking, making out. He sighed. He just wanted to get out of here. Someone sat next to him on the couch, and he didn't notice who it was. Not until she spoke, anyway.

"Rob?" Caitlyn finally said.

He turned to her. He wasn't sure how he felt about her relationship with Matt. He wasn't sure how he felt about her.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Things couldn't be better."

Caitlyn didn't know how to respond to that and simply sat for a few minutes.

"So you're leaving for New York soon?" she finally said.

"Yep. I'm going to see my mom. I'll finally get to see my real family after all these years."

"Oh, Rob."

"What?"

"Why don't you see them as your family?"

"Haven't we been over this enough? Doesn't it seem like it's time for you to stop bothering me about it?"

"Where do you get off? They love you. They're your family."

"You mean they were obligated to take me in. I know what happened. My dad left it in his will that he wanted Drake to take care of me. He really had no choice."

"Why wouldn't he? He could have let you go back to your mother which, from what I see now, might have been the better choice."

"I don't know. Guilt. He and Dad never got along when I was little."

"Can you blame him? For having his own father walk out on him?"

"I want to go back to see my mom who apparently did the same thing to me."

"You're being ridiculous. They love and care about you."

"Angela's too little to get it. Christine's only doing it because of Drake. None of them actually care. It's all obligation. Well, they don't have to worry about it anymore."

Rob hopped off the couch and headed off to find Tyler. He needed to talk to someone who wasn't going to bother him about what was happening. If anything, he'd get, "Man, it's so cool that you're going to New York." Instead of the interrogation and guilt he got from Caitlyn.

Caitlyn sighed and stood up when she turned around, she came face to face with Drake.

"Dr. Parker," she said quietly. "I don't think he meant..."

"I know what he meant," Drake replied. His eyes were missing their shine. He sighed and finally spoke again. "I just...If you see him again, let him know I'll be ready to leave at 11:45."

* * *

Drake silently drove home with Rob in the seat next to him. Neither seemed to have anything to say. Rob had no idea that Drake had heard him talking to Caitlyn, and Drake didn't know what to make of it. Rob didn't think of he, Christine, and Angela as his family. No matter how long they'd taken care of him, it didn't seem to matter. 

Rob was still frustrated over his conversation with Caitlyn. What did she expect from him? She just suddenly expected his view on the matter to change? He knew one thing. He was going to New York. He was going to see his real family and finally get the answers he'd waited for for a long time.

* * *

Rob picked up his carry on bag and began to head onto the plane. He didn't want to look back. The last time he'd been at this airport, Drake had left for New York to see about a record deal. He'd turned it down. He came back. Rob knew he'd be back but hopefully knowing what was going through his mother's mind all those years ago. 

Drake stood back, watching Rob walk away. All he could think about were the times when Rob was little. He'd asked him about his mother when he first came to San Diego, and Drake had no idea how to respond. Then he'd told Drake he wanted him to stay when he went to New York for a record deal. Drake had taken it to heart. Among everything else he soon realized he'd wanted, he wanted to take care of his brother. Now Rob was headed back to New York. Drake was hanging on by a thread. He had no idea how to react to the situations around him. Rob didn't think of him as a parent. He'd wanted that more than anything, and it never happened.

Drake collapsed in one of the seats. Ever since the incident with Lucy, Rob had begun acting strange. Then they'd discovered Rob didn't think he had family here. Drake wished he could see that it simply wasn't true. He hadn't told Christine what he heard Rob say. How could he possibly tell his wife that the boy she'd grown to love like her own child didn't think she cared? It would kill her. Drake just couldn't do that. But how to deal with this? They could only carry on with their lives and hope that Rob would realize they did love him. Drake wanted more than anything for Rob to realize that and come home. He could only hope and wait.


	12. Ch 11: When Reality Strikes

_One Step at a Time_

Disclaimer: All characters, etc., belong to their owners...yep...just wrote this story here.

A/N: The subject of suicide returns in this chapter. If it really bothers you, than do not read it.

**Chapter 11: When Reality Strikes**

* * *

A few days later, Drake walked through the hospital, making his rounds as normal. Josh was supposed to come by soon to eat lunch with him. Josh was great like that. He'd come see Drake on his lunch break and eat the crappy hospital food with him. Christine would too, but she didn't get very long for lunch. If she came by, it was because the school was closed. But Josh was coming by today because he had the time. Drake was looking forward to this. He needed a brother right now. His other brother had left. Well, Drake had wanted to become a father figure to Rob. If he didn't, no one else would. And that was how Drake felt about Rob, but Rob didn't feel that way about Drake. 

Drake was working in the emergency room and had just finished up when someone was brought inside. This was a normal occurrance. People needed to be brought in by ambulance all the time.

Drake glanced at the commotion at the doors. He'd seen this several times before but this time felt different. When the victim was rushed by him, he caught a glimpse of the face. It was Jeff Malone. Drake wanted to turn his face away from the crimson blood that he saw. His stomach wrenched. He felt like the walls were closing in on him. Flashbacks of the day he and Josh had found Ford began to fill his head. He remembered the doctor telling him and his mother that Ford was gone. He remembered running and collapsing in the grass. He remembered how part of him just wanted to die. How that part of him became numb for a long time. He soon felt someone grab his shoulder, yanking him back to reality.

"Drake? Drake?" Drake glanced to the right to find Josh standing there. "Weren't we going to have lunch together today?" Josh questioned.

"Y-yeah," Drake responded. He didn't want to leave the emergency room, but it would seem longer if he waited. Maybe Jeff would be okay. Maybe he'd talk to Drake again. Maybe they could really figure things out this time.

* * *

"Drake?" said Josh. He'd barely touched his roast beef sandwich. 

"Hmm?" Drake asked. He fumbled with the lid of his coffee, not really paying attention to anything in particular.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Drake didn't want to cross the lines of patient/doctor confidentiality. While he mentioned some things to Christine and Josh in his own home, he never said anything he shouldn't or that would expose the identity of the patients he saw.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I just have to check on something when I get back to the er, and it's making me anxious."

"You just used the word 'anxious' in a sentence...I guess you're starting to sound more like a doctor."

"Come on, Josh..."

* * *

Drake returned to the emergency room after eating lunch with Josh and quickly searched for the doctor taking care of Jeff. He stopped when he saw Jeff's parents. His mother had tears running down her face. She was shaking her head and sobbing while her husband kept a hand on her shoulder, trying to stay in control of his emotions. 

A doctor walked past the couple and gave them a sympathetic glance before continuing his trek through the halls.

"Excuse me," said Drake. "The boy that was brought in...has he...is he...?"

"I'm afraid so," the doctor replied. He passed Drake and continued down the hall.

Drake's eyes fell back on the Malones. He couldn't even imagine what they felt. The loss of their own child. Drake knew he and Christine would never be able to bear it if they lost Angela or Rob.

Drake couldn't stand to look at that sight. He quickly turned away and tried to keep himself occupied for the rest of the day. Reality had just arrived, and it stung more than he ever thought it would.

* * *

Christine finished slicing carrots in the kitchen and glanced up at the clock. Drake was a bit late. He normally got home at the same time everyday. Had he had to stay longer at the hospital? Should she be worried because he hadn't called her? She stopped worrying when she noticed his car pull into the garage. She walked to the front door where her worry returned after seeing the expression on her husband's face. 

"Drake," she said. "Sweetie, what's the matter?"

Drake didn't say anything. He just walked into the living room and sat down on the sofa. Angela looked up at her father. He wasn't happy like he always was when he came home. Sure, he'd often be tired, but he was never depressed. This was a different side of him to her.

"Daddy?" she asked cautiously. Drake glanced over at her and pulled her into his lap. He kissed the top of her head and held her tight. Drake's behavior was strange. Christine remembered the last time he was this silent. That was nearly eleven years ago when Ford died.

"Sweetie," Christine touched his shoulder. Drake sighed and looked up at his wife. There were tears resting in his eyes. "Angela," Christine said. "Why don't you go up to your room to play? I'll tell you when dinner's ready."

Angela might have been young, but she knew that this wasn't the time to argue. She was worried, but after hearing the tone in her mother's voice, she did as she was told.

Christine sat on the sofa next to Drake.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?"

"Maybe I'm not made for this."

"What?"

"This career. Maybe it was just a stupid idea, and I never should have let myself go down this road in the first place. I should have stuck with being a counselor. Better yet, I should have stuck with the band. I would never know any of the kids...it wouldn't be personal. Why'd you let me go down this road, Christine? Why'd you think I could handle it?"

"Drake, where are you coming from?"

"I don't think I can do this anymore."

"Why not? You've done so well..."

"...with the school parts! Ha. That's a surprise in itself. But I just know, I can't do it anymore."

"Drake, what's the matter? Why is this suddenly a problem?"

"Because a boy killed himself today! I couldn't stop him. I talked to him once earlier this year. I thought he might try again, and he did. Only this time, there was no rope to break."

Drake felt the tears starting to slide down his cheeks. Christine was the only person he'd let see him cry, and it wasn't something he did often even then.

"Drake," she said. "You only talked to him once. I'm sure that if he had been going to a psychiatrist regularly, this could have been avoided."

"His parents wouldn't agree to it. I don't know if I've told you too much now."

"You never mentioned a name. I have no idea who he is."

"His parents refused when I suggested it when they came to pick him up. It's frustrating."

Christine curled up next to Drake. All thoughts of finishing dinner went out the window. She took his hands in her's and placed her head on his shoulder. He felt her body around his. He gripped her hands and let his head fall against her's. It was a lot to take. Too much to take. He'd been lucky in his residency. He hadn't seen anyone commit suicide. Now a reality had reared its ugly head.

"Maybe it's not what I'm meant to do," he said.

"Sweetie, you've proven that you should. You helped that girl back in your residency, remember?" He wanted to remember that, he wanted to focus on that. A young girl had come in with suicidal thoughts, and somehow, he'd been able to show her that some things were worth living for. While he didn't see her anymore, he had hoped she'd continued therapy and was now off getting ready to head out into the real world. "Those are the ones you should look at. The ones who don't make it...go ahead and feel grief, but don't feel like you failed. Other things happen. His parents didn't get him more help. I don't want to blame them, but his chances would have been better. You of all people should know that it takes a mix of everything to cause something like this to happen. It's not your fault."

"I just...he's dead. I can't change that."

"No, you can't. Nobody can change that. But you can use his memory as a drive to help other kids in his position. In the last moments, when it really is the end, don't they not want to die?"

"I guess," Drake said. A lot of what he saw showed that people would regret their attempt. That was why some would call for help as they died. In Jeff's case, there was no way he could have called.

"I don't think this boy would want you to take this as a failure. I think he would want you to know that you were right, there are things worth living for. He only got seconds to realize them, but I'm sure he knew that."

"I just..."

"You're meant to do this. Dr. Reynolds wouldn't have offered you the office in her building if she didn't think you were meant to do it. Sweetie, just use his memory to keep going. Please don't stop something you want to do because of this. When we go out with the others in the fellowship, their husbands and wives are always mentioning to me how the conversation at home leads to you and how great you are at what you do."

"It's just scary. What if it happens again?"

"Well, then you still can't blame yourself. There's more than one thing going on in their lives, Drake, you know that. Tell me, do you love what you're doing?"

"I did...I'm not so sure about after today."

"If you still question it sometime from now, then ask why you're doing it, but I think you'll feel better after a little while. If you love it, don't stop. This wasn't your last chance. Something like this was bound to happen sooner or later, I'm sorry to have to say. You're a doctor. They have to face these kinds of things. It's the life they choose."

"I guess I knew that going into this job, but when it happens..."

"...it hurts like hell."

Drake stared into her eyes. He sighed. She'd seen students walk through her door everyday from fall until summer began. Twice, she had seen one walk through the door in the fall but not walk out when summer began. It was the price you paid for taking a job that dealt with kids...with anyone. It was life.

"What about Rob?" he finally asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Would he ever..." So this also made him worried about that.

"Drake, he's never shown any sign of...at least..."

"No, it's just, I don't see him now. What if...what if I had known, and he did, or what if he's not happy, and he does..."

"Drake, stop it."

"It'd be my fault."

"No. Why? Is this what you've been worried about?"

"I guess."

"Drake, you would never be able to keep him from doing something that far away. And just because you let him go doesn't mean that he would do that. I know he's looking for himself, but he's looking for answers. He's not going to end it...he wants the answers. You know how that feels. He'll do anything to get them. And once he has them, hopefully things will return to normal. It has nothing to do with what you've done. And I want you to be happy again because I know you can do this. And I know you didn't just mean being a psychiatrist."

"Thank you," said Drake. "I love you." He kissed her.

"I love you too, and I'm always here for you."

"I'm going to go talk to Angela." Christine's expression looked worried for a moment. "I won't tell her all that happened. I just want to tell her that I didn't have a good day at work."

"I wonder if we should tell her. But I want her to be able to be a kid."

"I know."

* * *

"Angela," Drake said, knocking on her open door. 

"What is it, Daddy?" she asked. "Do you feel better?"

"A little," Drake replied. He walked into the room and sat down on her bed. "Come here for a minute." She walked over to him, and he pulled her into his lap. "Daddy didn't have a fun day today. Something very scary happened."

"What?" she questioned.

Drake didn't want to tell her. She was only in preschool. She was too little to understand why someone would do that. She was too little to know.

"Someone decided that they weren't happy. I couldn't convince them that they could be. Now it's a little too late for that."

She looked confused.

"I know you don't really understand," Drake said. "But sometimes my job won't always be happy. It happens. I just have to deal with it one step at a time. Can you understand that?"

"I think so," Angela said. Drake kissed her head. She was lucky to have her childhood innocence. Who knew how long that would last. He wished he could protect her from the world, but he knew it was impossible. He couldn't help but hate the fact that one day, he'd be gone, and she'd be without him. But then, that wouldn't be for a very long time, and he hoped that she'd find someone who loved her long before then. He stroked her hair softly for a while. He just wanted to keep her this way, young and innocent. The sad truth was that he couldn't.

"Drake," said Christine softly. She stood in the doorway watching her husband hold their daughter.

"Hmm?" Drake glanced up with tired eyes. The boy's death had taken a toll on him. Christine came and sat beside them on the bed. Drake needed his family now. That was what was important, that they were there and near him. He felt a twinge of pain because Rob wasn't there. He wondered how much Rob saw him as a parent. Drake was not his dad. Ford had been Rob's dad. Drake simply took care of him when Ford died. He was with his mom now. What was Rob's family? Drake just hoped that Rob would always have the support like he had at that moment.


	13. Ch 12: I Know

_One Step at a Time_

Disclaimer: All characters, etc., belong to their owners...yep...just wrote this story here.

A/N: I realized I never mentioned that this would be the last chapter...well, it is, and there will be a part II to this story eventually. Need to finish it up. Oh, and I couldn't resist the chapter title.

**Chapter 12: I Know**

* * *

About a month after the summer began, Drake was running around the house, getting ready to leave for work before he was late. He ran into the computer room and noticed he had a new email. He went to read it but realized it was getting too late. He'd have to let it wait. He flew out the door as quickly as possible to avoid the morning traffic.

If he'd noticed who the email was from, he might have stopped to read it. However, he needed to hurry or else explain why he hadn't made it on time that morning.

* * *

Drake quickly walked out to his car later that day. It had been quite a long day, and all he wanted to do was go home. He glanced over his shoulder and noticed someone hurrying toward him. She looked familiar. Yet he couldn't place her. Then he finally saw her face.

"Dr. Parker, I finally caught up with you."

"Can I help you, Mrs. Malone?"

"I've been trying to find you. It's not easy. I wanted to talk to you about Jeff."

Drake shifted uneasily. He didn't know if he wanted to have this conversation. Was she here to blame him?

"Okay," he said.

"I...I...had finally sent him to the psychiatrist you recommended."

"I see," said Drake.

"I just don't quite understand."

"When there's more than one thing going on in a person's life, it all comes into play. It's not necessarily something done wrong. It just becomes a lot to handle. Sometimes they feel it's too much."

"I know that now. I worry that I expected too much. He was a straight A student, and when that went down, I..."

"Don't blame yourself, Mrs. Malone. I should have done more to convince you and him. I'm sorry for that."

"No, you only saw him once. You can't take blame."

"See what I mean by more than one thing?"

"I do now."

"I'm truly sorry for your loss. I hope you and your family will be all right. While the pain of something like this might not ever go away completely, it will hurt a little less as time goes on. Good luck, Mrs. Malone."

"You too," she replied.

* * *

Drake had forgotten the email all day until late that night. He was exhausted and was ready for sleep. He remembered, though, and finally opened it.

_Drake,_

_I'm having a great time in New York, like I've said a few times before. The end of the summer seems like it will come too quickly, and I have to tell you something now. I don't want to leave. I want to stay here and go to school here. Please understand that I'm connecting with my family, and it's only going to help if I go to school here. I've got to get going. I'll talk to you later._

_Rob_

Drake stared blankly at the computer screen. Rob didn't want to come home? After growing up in their house, he didn't want to come back? Drake turned off the computer and headed upstairs to bed. He was silent while getting dressed. He didn't talk to Christine like he normally did.

"Drake," she said, looking up from her magazine. "I was wondering when you wanted to go camping with Josh and Lana this summer. I mean when do you...have...time..." She slowed her sentence when she saw the look on her husband's face. "Sweetie, what's wrong?"

Drake sat down on the bed. He didn't speak for a moment.

"Rob doesn't want to come home."

"Why not?" Christine asked.

"He says he's connecting with his family, and he doesn't want to ruin that. He says he wants to go to school in New York. I just can't believe it."

"Drake, I'm sorry."

"I tried so hard. I tried so hard to be a parent to him, but I couldn't. I didn't even try to get him to stay. I just let him go."

"Drake, how would you have kept him here? He wanted to know what Sylvia wanted. He's grown up well. He's more than half of who he is because of you. Just let him figure out who he is."

"I don't know how."

"I don't know how either except to give him his space."

Drake finally looked at her. He noticed she was crying. She was just as upset as he was that Rob wanted to stay in New York.

"Did I act this way when I left?"

"You came back, Drake. Twice."

"So how do I let him know I still care?"

"The same way you always have...just at a distance now. Things will get better. He'll come to miss us, you'll see. He loves you whether he says it or not. Whether he wants to believe it or not. You can't grow out of love."

"Ford did."

"Ford. I don't claim to be an expert, but when I think about it, he never seemed to be in love with your mom in the first place. You and Rob aren't Ford. You told yourself that a long time ago."

"I know. I never said I was like him. I want Rob to come back, but no one can promise that."

"No. But I can promise that things will get better, and you'll feel better soon. You'll still talk to him. You'll be finishing your fellowship soon. You'll set your own hours. You'll have things to focus on to help these things get better...Angela loves her daddy, and I love my husband. As much as I'd like to see Rob come home too, we'll have to give him his time and space. You've given him so much. This isn't it between you two. He's more like you than he thinks he is. He'll realize that someday, but for now, he's distant. "

"I wish things weren't this hard. We spent so long taking care of him, and he's gone now."

"I know. I'm sorry you didn't get the kind of relationship you've been hoping for, but it's never too late. Maybe someday things will change, but for now, just let him know you're still here. You've done so much already by just letting him go. No matter what happens, he's going to be fine, and that's because of you."

"I hope you're right. I mean, he's got to come back someday, right? After all, I'm the only brother he's got."

"Yes, you are. And Megan's his only sister. He'll at least come back to visit, I'm sure."

"I just wish..."

"I know. I do too."

The two fell silent. Things suddenly seemed empty.

"He'll be back," Drake finally said. "I know he will."


End file.
